59E59 Theaters to Host Eight UK Productions for Brits Off Broadway 2026
The annual festival runs April - June, spotlighting new musicals, solo shows and reimagined literary classics.
By: A.A. Cristi Jan. 27, 2026
59E59 Theaters has announced the return of Brits Off Broadway, its acclaimed annual festival celebrating the breadth and vitality of independent British theater. The 2026 festival will feature eight productions and run April 14 through June 28, presented across all three of 59E59 Theaters' stages.
This year's lineup showcases work from a dynamic range of UK writers, performers and producing companies, spanning genres from new musicals and solo storytelling to classic literary adaptations and contemporary dramas.
“59E59 Theaters remains a home for artists from across the Atlantic to share bold work with New York audiences,” said Val Day, Artistic Director of 59E59 Theaters. “Every production in Brits Off Broadway reflects the curiosity and creative risk-taking that defines independent UK theater. We are proud to provide a space where artists can collaborate and present work that challenges, entertains and inspires.”
From April 26 to May 24, 10 to 4 Productions presents Cable Street, a powerful new musical by Tim Gilvin and Alex Kanefsky, directed by Adam Lenson. Inspired by the true story of the 1936 Battle of Cable Street, the production revisits a defining moment of collective resistance in London's East End, celebrating solidarity, community and the enduring fight against hatred.
In late spring and early summer, the festival presents Guildford Shakespeare Company's inventive adaptation of Charles Dickens' David Copperfield (May 29 – June 28). The company returns following a successful run of its comedic adaptation of Pride & Prejudice in 2025. Three actors will embody the 20 characters in this whirlwind tale of a young man's life from humble beginnings to literary renown.
The festival continues with Victoria Melody's Trouble, Struggle, Bubble and Squeak (April 15 – May 3), a genre-blending solo show directed by Mark Thomas that combines personal storytelling, history and stand-up comedy in a joyful exploration of community and resistance.
Also featured is Clara: Sex, Love and Classical Music (April 22 – May 10). Produced by LPMAM and Face to Face and written and performed by Elena Mazzon, the show, filled with live music, is an intimate portrait of pioneering composer Clara Schumann that has earned five-star acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe and beyond. Clara takes an unusual, eye-opening look into the past to reflect on questions of identity and challenges women still face today.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT ME. (May 13 – June 7), is Hannah Caplan's award-winning meta-theatrical play, produced by WoodForge Studios and directed by Douglas Clarke-Wood. The production follows a spiralling writer who struggles to craft a play to process the end of a longstanding friendship, but as passion blurs into obsession, she loses her grip on the narrative. The festival also welcomes Scottish Opera and Loch Doune Productions' Lauder: Scotland's Kilted King of Broadway (May 15 – June 7), a spirited musical celebration of legendary entertainer Harry Lauder, starring Jamie MacDougall and Derek Clark.
Red Fox Theatre will showcase Catch of the Day (June 10 – 28), a raucous, music-filled pub play inspired by a true, unbelievable Irish story of a skipper who sails into Dingle bay with a very unusual catch, and a series of events unfolds involving Eamon De Valera, Queen Elizabeth, and a surprising amount of nuns.
Also featured is Youth in Flames (June 10 – 28), written and performed by Mimi Martin, directed by Jessica Whiley, and produced by Dare Theatre and Richard Jordan Productions in collaboration with The Lawrence Batley Theatre. Inspired by true events, the show follows Millie, a cheeky British teenage expat living in Hong Kong whose world is upended during the 2019 regime protests. Through her friendship with local classmate Jesse, she is drawn into the heart of the cause and realizes that her carefree attitude can have real consequences.
“Brits Off Broadway continues to be one of the most exciting features of what 59E59 Theaters exists to do,” said Brian Beirne, Managing Director of 59E59 Theaters. “From offering the space, ticketing and promotional support, we're helping these companies arrive in New York ready to share their work at the highest level. The result is a festival that feels connected to the artists who make it and allows for surprises across a number of genres for our audiences.”
Launched in 2004, Brits Off Broadway has earned a reputation for presenting high-quality, often groundbreaking theater that challenges conventions and provokes thought. The festival is a testament to 59E59 Theaters' prioritization of supporting new and independent theater through its expansive programming model. Following a $10 million gift from the Elysabeth Kleinhans Theatrical Foundation, 59E59 Theaters allows the 30-plus productions that open annually, including shows in Brits Off Broadway, to use the company's three performance spaces and equipment free of weekly rent. The model, which went into effect starting in Summer 2024, provides opportunities to bring more innovative productions to the theater's stages.
For more information on this year's Brits Off Broadway festival and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.59e59.org/.
Brits Off Broadway Lineup
April 26 - May 24
10 to 4 Productions presents
Cable Street
A New Musical by Tim Gilvin and Alex Kanefsky
Directed by Adam Lenson
With Max Alexander-Taylor, Debbie Chazen, Michali Dantes, Natalie Elisha-Welsh, Lizzy-Rose Esin Kelly, Isaac Gryn, Preeya Kalidas, Romona Lewis-Malley, Annie Majin, Aoife Mac Namara, Ethan Pascal Peters, Jez Unwin, and Barney Wilkinson
Inspired by the true story of the Battle of Cable Street, this electrifying new musical takes us back to October 1936 in London.
Sammy, Mairead, and Ron are shaping their futures on Cable Street when Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists march to the heart of the East End. One hundred thousand Jews, Irish workers, and communists unite to blockade the road they call home. As they take a stand against hatred, their lives are forever changed.
A celebration of community and a rallying call to action, this timeless story is as powerful today as it ever was.
April 22 - May 10
LPMAM and Face to Face present
Clara: Sex, Love and Classical Music
Written and Performed by Elena Mazzon
Directed by Colin Watkeys
Clara brings to life the extraordinary story of Romantic era feminist icon and ground-breaking classical composer Clara Schumann. No, not Robert Schumann – Clara Schumann!
Created and performed by Elena Mazzon, this intimate play explores Clara's fascinating and complex life, delving into her career and relationships as she gets ready for a date with none other than the famous Johannes Brahms.
Incorporating live music, Clara takes an unusual, eye-opening look into the past to reflect on questions of identity and challenges women still face today
April 15 - May 3
Victoria Melody and Mark Thomas present
Trouble, Struggle, Bubble and Squeak
Written and Performed by Victoria Melody
Directed by Mark Thomas
Award-winning theater maker and “Fringe legend” (Time Out), Victoria Melody joined a historical re-enactment society… because we all deal with divorce differently!
Spending weekends as a Musketeer trying to get her head straight, she uncovered the story of 17th-century radicals called The Diggers and everything changed.
What started as a personal search for happiness turned into a quest to find the Diggers of today, but she didn't expect to find them right on her doorstep. Blending storytelling and stand-up, past and present collide in this tale of hijinks and resistance celebrating the ordinary people still shaping history.
Commissioned by Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival with financial support from East Brighton Trust, Creative Crawley as part of Creative Playground and Keep it Fringe. Supported using public funding by Arts Council England. Developed with Crew Club, East Brighton Food Co-op, Friends of Whitehawk Hill, The English Civil War Society and Woolly Umbrella.
May 14 - June 7
Scottish Opera and Loch Doune Productions present Jamie MacDougall as
Lauder: Scotland's Kilted King of Broadway
By Jimmy Logan
Adapted by Kally Lloyd-Jones and Jamie MacDougall
Directed by Kally Lloyd-Jones
With musician Derek Clark
Lauder is a gem of a show celebrating the life of a legendary Scottish entertainer whose songs are beloved by audiences worldwide. Known for iconic hits like “I Love a Lassie,” “Roamin' in the Gloamin',” and “The End of the Road.”
Harry Lauder became the highest-paid performer in the world by 1911. An international star of music hall and vaudeville, he was also the first UK artist to sell over a million recordings and the first Knight of the music hall. Before Billy Connolly, Alan Cumming, and Lewis Capaldi, there was Harry Lauder — a pioneering figure whose charm, wit, and warm Scottish spirit made him an enduring symbol of Scottish pride and global entertainment
May 13 - June 7
Hannah Caplan and Douglas Clarke-Wood for WoodForge Studios present
This Is Not About Me
By Hannah Caplan
Directed by Douglas Clarke-Wood
With Amaia Naima Aguinaga and Francis Nunnery
A spiralling playwright dramatises the secrets of her broken relationship, but as passion blurs into obsession she loses her grip on the narrative. Should she let truth get in the way of a good story?
In this tender will-they-won't they, we are catapulted through a decade of Eli and Grace's relationship. As they spin in each other's orbit, we unravel how much they mean to each other and why it fell apart.
Meticulously hand crafted by multi-disciplinary artists, this “beautifully conceived and brilliantly performed” (British Theatre Guide) non-linear love story is a metatheatrical rollercoaster through heartbreak and hyperreality. Catch the 5 star, kaleidoscopic cult-hit for their Stateside debut.
May 29 - June 28
Guildford Shakespeare Company presents
David Copperfield
By Abigail Pickard Price with Sarah Gobran and Matt Pinches
Directed by Abigail Pickard Pric
With Luke Barton, Louise Beresford, and Eddy Payne
"Procrastination is the thief of time. Collar him!"
Guildford Shakespeare Company's unmissable adaptation of Charles Dickens' “favorite child,” David Copperfield is the whirlwind tale of a young man's life from humble beginnings to literary renown: a journey of romance and adventure filled with lovable rogues, wily scoundrels, and benevolent patrons.
From the creative team behind last year's internationally acclaimed Pride & Prejudice (“A feast of theatricality,” New York Stage Review) comes our latest adaptation of another cherished classic novel.
Three actors embody over 20 larger-than-life characters with “delightful dollops of mischief and inventive comic eccentricity” (The Guardian) in an enchanting romp that “sparkles with wit, charm and bonhomie” (West End Best Friend).
June 10 - 28
Red Fox Theatre presents
Catch of the Day
By Red Fox Theatre Company and Megan Jenkins
Directed by Megan Jenkins
With Callum McGuire, Jonty Weston, Ben Simon, and Anna McCormick
Ireland, 1966.
A skipper sails into Dingle bay with a very unusual catch. What follows is a ridiculous series of events involving Eamon De Valera, Queen Elizabeth, and a surprising amount of nuns.
An unbelievable true story built from interviews, Catch of the Day is a raucous and little-bit-political play with live trad music, all set in a pub. This “side-splittingly funny” (The Irish Post) show has been teaching audiences about Anglo-Irish relations in very silly ways since 2018.
Bring your mates and your mammy and get ready for one craic-ing night out. One fish can make a big splash.
June 10 - 28
Dare Theatre and Richard Jordan Productions in collaboration with The Lawrence Batley Theatre present
Youth in Flames
Written and Performed by Mimi Martin
Directed by Jessica Whiley
Inspired by true events, Millie is a cheeky British teenage expat living in Hong Kong whose world is upended during the 2019 regime protests. Through her friendship with local classmate Jesse, she is drawn into the heart of the cause and realizes that her carefree attitude can have real consequences.
Youth in Flames is about trying to find a sense of belonging in a rapidly changing world – and the cost of ignorance when our attention is needed most.
Direct from its sell-out season at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe and Winner of The Scotsman Newspaper Fringe First Award for Excellence in New Writing.
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