The Young Vic’s 2025 and 2026 season has been announced. A brand-new selection of plays and productions will run from 15 September to 18 July 2026. This upcoming season is set to feature seven productions, six of which are from first-time directors making their Young Vic debuts.
Entertaining Mr. Sloane by Joe Orton | 15 September – 08 November
Nadia Fall is launching into her first season as an artistic director with no hesitation and is staring by tackling Joe Orton’s cult classic, Entertaining Mr. Sloane. When Kath offers to rent a room out to Mr Sloane, her brother and father do not approve and are suspicious of the mysterious stranger now living with them in their family home. The play explores some darker themes of manipulation, seduction and deceit while also managing to maintain some witty charm. The play is currently set to star Tamzin Outhwaite and Daniel Cerqueira with further casting details still to be announced.
Ohio by The Bengsons | 30 September – 24 October
Directed by Caitlin Sullivan, Ohio is the second instalment in this brand-new season. This new musical, created by real-life couple Abigail and Shaun Benson, weaves together true stories from their own lives, brought to life with a live soundtrack of folk and indie music they both deeply love. The show is making its debut at the Edinburgh Fringe this year and is coming to the Young Vic only one month after. From the Obie-winning indie-folk duo this is sure to be a performance you don’t want to miss.
Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo by Rajiv Joseph | 2 December- 31 January
This production will be directed by Omar Elerian and it will be the play’s European premiere after a run on Broadway in 2011. The show received multiple Tony nominations and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. This surreal and dark comedy heavily explores themes of death, war and existentialism. The story is set in 2003, in the early days of the Iraq war, at the Baghdad Zoo. Two American Marines, Tom and Kev, have a fateful encounter with a Bengal tiger who questions the meaning of war. After a violent incident leaves Tom maimed and the tiger dead, its ghost returns to haunt the soldiers, forcing them to confront guilt and the chaos they’ve unleashed.
Museum of Austerity – a mixed reality exhibition | 5 December – 16 January
Part of this season will feature a more experimental form of theatre. This “exhibition” is aiming to combine theatre, history and human experience. The performances will be fully immersive and provoke you to reflect on the past and confront the future. Museum of Austerity is a mixed reality installation that reveals the human cost of UK austerity policies, especially on disabled people. Using real testimonies and immersive technology, it blends theatre and history to create a powerful, thought-provoking experience.
Broken Glass by Arthur Miller | 21 February – 18 April
Broken Glass is a 1994 play by Arthur Miller, focusing on a Jewish couple in New York City in 1938. The play forces itself to confront the horrors of Nazi Germany that were taking place the same time the play is set. Olivier Award nominated Best Director Jordan Fein (Fiddler on the Roof) brings this rarely performed Arthur Miller play to the Young Vic. The play tackles a lot of upsetting themes including death, denial, guilt and antisemitism so viewer discretion is advised.
CARE by Alexander Zeldin | 11 May – 11 July
CARE is written and directed by Alexander Zeldin and will be debuting at the Young Vic during this season. Following the hugely popular ‘Inequalities’ trilogy, Alexander Zeldin (LOVE, The Confessions, The Other Place) makes his Young Vic debut and eagerly anticipated return to London. CARE tells the story of a reluctant grandmother who is placed in a care home by her overwhelmed daughter, following a fall. Amid family tensions and unfamiliar surroundings, she slowly finds clarity, connection, and unexpected joy in life’s small moments. It is an emotional and heart-warming play that ultimately is about finding joy in life during difficult times.
Sting by Sophie Swithinbank | 18 June- 18 July
In Sophie Swithinbank’s urgent new play, Ash is spiralling, partying hard and stumbling into a new job with a hangover and a disapproving boss, Lily. Tasked with cataloguing historic witch trials, the two women uncover chilling patterns of persecution. When Ash’s charming boyfriend Dom steps in after a workplace incident—complete with a gift of a pet rabbit—things seem to stabilise. But as their research deepens and tensions rise, Lily begins to question what’s really going on. Directed by Nancy Medina, this gripping drama exposes the insidious nature of systemic injustice and how it echoes through both history and modern life.
With a bold mix of classic revivals, ground-breaking new writing, and innovative immersive experiences, the Young Vic’s 2025/26 season showcases the theatre’s continued commitment to fresh voices and fearless storytelling. From political urgency to personal reflection, this diverse line-up promises to challenge, move, and inspire audiences throughout the year.
Words by Gemma McDonald
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