The season will include revivals of Strindberg’s Creditors and the world premiere of Tanika Gupta’s Hedda.
Artistic Director of the Orange Tree Theatre Tom Little has announced details of the Richmond based theatre’s 2025/2026 season, which is comprised of six plays, three world premières, two major revivals, and a classic comedy.
The autumn season will open with Howard Brenton’s adaptation of Strindberg’s Creditors, directed by Tom Littler. Running at the theatre from the 6th September until the 11th October, the production is set to star Charles Dance, Nicholas Farrell, and Geraldine James. Creditors also marks the seventh collaboration between Brenton and Littler, who last collaborated on Churchill’s Moscow.
Meanwhile, the world premiere of Tanika Gupta’s Hedda, inspired by Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler, will head to the Orange Tree Theatre stage from the 18th October until the 22nd November. Directed by Hettie Macdonald, the production is set to star Pearl Chanda with further casting yet to be confirmed.
2025 will conclude with Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s comic classic The Rivals, directed by Littler; and the OT Young Company present Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, in a new adaptation by Chinonyerem Odimba inspired by Lewis Carroll’s classic, directed by Matt Hassall.
Next year will begin with Richard Eyre’s new adaptation of Strindberg’s Dance of Death, starring Lisa Dillon and Will Keen, which Eyre also directs. It will run at the theatre from the 31st January until the 7th March.
Niamh Cusack will return to the Orange Tree Theatre in the first major revival of Nicholas Wright’s Vincent in Brixton. Premiering at the National Theatre, Vincent in Brixton opened in 2002, winning the 2003 Olivier Award for Best New Play. It explores the young Van Gogh’s transformative period lodging in a South London boarding house – Carne Associate Director Georgia Green directs.
The OT also continue their work engaging young people and those less able to travel to theatre with schemes including OT Under 30 Nights – providing 18–29-year-old theatregoers with a free drink, post-show talk, and a social event in the bar within their £15 ticket – and OT On Screen continuing to stream OT productions online following their runs.
Talking about the news, Artistic Director Tom Littler said: “I’m biased, but I can’t think of a better space than the Orange Tree to see great performances and hear great writing up close, and this season redoubles our commitment to exemplary acting and texts. There’s a strong Scandinavian theme, which sees Howard Brenton, Tanika Gupta, and Richard Eyre in conversation with masterpieces by August Strindberg and Henrik Ibsen; we’ll also present a Northern Lights mini-season of Lunchtime Plays. Chinonyerem Odimba reinterprets Lewis Carroll; Richard Brinsley Sheridan gets his 250th birthday present; and Nicholas Wright’s exquisite work is rightly honoured. I can’t wait to see Pearl Chanda, Niamh Cusack, Charles Dance, Lisa Dillon, Nicholas Farrell, Geraldine James, and Will Keen lead a series of remarkable ensembles.”
For further information visit: https://orangetreetheatre.co.uk/