RIVERSIDE STUDIOS ANNOUNCES FULL AUTUMN PROGRAMME FOR THEIR 50TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE ANDY SANDBERG’S 5-SHOW MAINSTAGE SEASON, REP: RADICAL CLASSICAL AND A SPECIAL SEASON OF SHOWS CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF RIVERSIDE STUDIOS

REP: RADICAL CLASSICAL (8 SEPTEMBER – 10 OCTOBER); ROMEO AND HAMED (2 – 6 SEPTEMBER); CADEL: LUNGS ON LEGS (13 OCTOBER – 15 NOVEMBER); ARE YOU EVEN INDIAN? (17 – 29 NOVEMBER); THE SONG OF GRACE (9 – 13 SEPTEMBER) 

MAINSTAGE – 5 NEW PLAYS DIRECTED BY TONY WINNER ANDY SANDBERG (SEPTEMBER 2026 – JULY 2027) 

TICKETS AND FURTHER INFORMATION AVAILABLE HERE 

IMAGES AVAILABLE HERE 

[Thursday 16 July, Hammersmith] Riverside Studios are thrilled to announce details of their autumn season, as they continue in their 50th anniversary year. 

The theatre programme showcases a dynamic line-up of new writing, returning hits and contemporary performance from emerging and established voices that celebrate the anniversary of the iconic West London venue. 

As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations, in Studio 3, Flywheel Theatre Company, Veritas Productions, and Riverside Studios present REP: RADICAL CLASSICAL, a repertory company breathing new life into classics with a season of plays inspired by half a century of Riverside Studios. Five plays, five weeks, five actors: a single ensemble performs the entire repertory, embracing the history of not just the plays but the creatives who have worked at Riverside over the last 50 years. 

The season premiers with The Cherry Orchard (8 – 12 September) by Anton Checkhov, in homage to Peter Gill’s landmark 1978 Riverside staging. Their other plays will be The School for Wives (15 – 19 September) by Molière, Phaedra (22 – 26 September) by Jean Racine, Measure for Measure (29 September – 3 October) by William Shakespeare, famously staged at Riverside in 1979 with Helen Mirren, and The Virtuous Burglar (6 – 10 October) by Dario Fo. Press performance for the season on Thursday 10 September at 7:30 pm. 

Romeo and Hamed, (2 – 6 September) is a bold, queer reimagining of Shakespeare’s tragedy by debut writer Scott Horgan, directed by Maddy Corner. Set in Croydon, the play follows the immediate and raw connection between Romeo and Hamed as they navigate love, faith, family and belonging. Told in lyrical verse with a pounding soundtrack, this urgent new play asks whether we have the courage to love freely in a world that often refuses it. Press performance on Wednesday 2 September at 7 pm. 

Following its sold-out London debut earlier this year, IMITATIONS transfers to Riverside Studios from Tuesday 15 September – Saturday 3 October. Set in a Manchester flat, the play follows childhood best friends Bea and Frank as a surprise visit unearths old memories and long-buried truths. Through warmth, wit and compassion, this new comedy-drama invites audiences to experience an unforgettable new play that is as funny as it is deeply affecting. 

Created and performed by Connor Delves, CADEL: Lungs On Legs (Studio 3, 13 October – 15 November) is an award-winning solo show tells the extraordinary true story of cycling legend Cadel Evans, the first Australian to win the Tour de France. Pedalling throughout the entire performance, Delves takes audiences inside the determination, sacrifice and resilience behind one of sport’s greatest achievements, with a press performance on Thursday 15 October at 7:15pm. 

Set inside a surreal courtroom where a marriage is put on trial, Are You Even Indian? (Studio 3, 17 – 29 November). A dance-drama by Mohit Mathur about a marriage built across cultures, as a British-born South Asian woman and an Indian-born man build a life together and find deeper questions waiting underneath: about culture, home, and belonging. When both your homes ask you to apologise for who you are, how do you decide where you belong? A love story about proving your identity, not just to each other, but to a whole community watching, with a press performance on Tuesday 24 November at 7:45pm. 

In a world that scrolls past everything, can one song still make us stop and listen? The Song of Grace (Studio 2, 9 – 13 September) follows a gifted young violinist who has carried her grandmother Grace’s lullaby since childhood. When life takes an unexpected turn, the song returns, opening a path through memory, music and the questions she can no longer ignore. Created by The Prema Collective, the production weaves an original score performed live with theatre, dance and vivid visual storytelling, brought to life by an international ensemble of artists from ten countries. Inspired by the Bhagavad Gita, it brings ancient wisdom into the present through one young woman’s experience of love, loss and a life suddenly changed. After six years of performances across Europe, The Song of Grace arrives at Riverside Studios for its UK premiere, featuring UK-based Artistic Producer Ravin Ganatra and original music by Prema Hamilton. 

Tony-award winning director and producer Andy Sandberg directs a major new season of five plays in Riverside Studio’s Mainstage (Studio 2) from September 2026 – July 2027. The plays are largely set in contemporary America and explore globally relevant themes and topics. They include Affluenza (26 September – 21 November, with a press performance on 5 October), written and directed by Sandberg; Sacrilegious (5 December – 23 January, with a press performance on 15 December) by Tom Schulman, the Oscar-winning writer of the films Dead Poets Society and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids; and Expecting (30 January – 28 March, with a press performance on 9 February), by Scott Elmegreen & Drew Fornarola. Further productions and casting will be announced at a later date.  

Head of Programming, Rhys Williamson said: “We're incredibly proud to welcome such a diverse range of artists to Riverside for our 50th anniversary year, and we can't wait to share these exciting new productions with audiences over the coming months.”