REP: RADICAL CLASSICAL Season to Mark Riverside Studios 50th Anniversary
Simon Callow and Lindsay Duncan will take part in fundraising conversations tied to the milestone season.
Riverside Studios has announced further details for REP: RADICAL CLASSICAL, an ambitious five-play repertory season presented by Flywheel Theatre Company, Veritas Productions, and Riverside Studios as part of the iconic West London venue's year-long 50th anniversary celebrations.
Running in Studio 3 from September 8 through October 10, the season will see a single ensemble of five actors perform five classic plays across five weeks, echoing the repertory theatre tradition. Each production has a direct connection to Riverside Studios' theatrical history, revisiting Landmark Productions and artists who have helped shape the venue over the past five decades.
The season opens September 8-12 with Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard. The play was the first production mounted at Riverside Studios under Artistic Director Peter Gill in 1978, and Flywheel's new staging revisits the classic drama about a family confronting the loss of its ancestral home.
From September 15-19, the company will present Molière's The School for Wives, one of the playwright's best-known comedies. The work previously appeared at Riverside Studios in a 1995 English Touring Theatre production.
Jean Racine's tragedy Phaedra follows September 22-26. The play was last produced at Riverside Studios in 2002 in a production directed by Deborah Warner.
Shakespeare's Measure for Measure will run September 29 through October 3. One of the earliest Shakespeare productions staged at Riverside, the play was presented at the venue in 1979 with a cast led by Helen Mirren.
The repertory season concludes October 6-10 with Dario Fo's The Virtuous Burglar. Fo was a frequent collaborator with Riverside Studios during the 1980s, presenting workshops at the venue alongside his wife and artistic partner, Franca Rame.
Audiences who purchase tickets for all five productions will receive a 25% discount. The season's press performance is scheduled for September 10 at 7:30 p.m.
REP: RADICAL CLASSICAL is led by Artistic Director Benedict Esdale and produced by Adeyinka Akinrinade for Veritas Productions, with associate producer Nik Haukoh. The creative team also includes stage and Costume Designer Rebecca Ward, co-lighting designers Brett Kasza and Thea Bulgin, dramaturg William J. Dunleavy, stage manager Lauren Vickers, casting director Fran Cattaneo, assistant producer Mercy Ola, creative associate Jack Robertson, graphic designer Rebecca Thomas, marketing by Cup of Ambition, photographer Miranda Mazzarella, and costumes supplied by Thespis Theatrical Costumiers.
As part of the anniversary celebrations, Riverside Studios will also host two special fundraising events featuring acclaimed actors Simon Callow CBE and Lindsay Duncan CBE, both of whom share longstanding ties to the venue.
The first, Simon Callow CBE in Conversation, will take place on September 6 at 3:30 p.m. During the event, Callow will reflect on his career as an actor, writer, and director. A longtime Riverside Studios collaborator, Callow has appeared at the venue in productions including Dickens' Dr Marigold and Mr Chops, Shakespeare: The Man from Stratford, and Juvenalia. His stage and screen credits include originating the role of Mozart in Peter Shaffer's Amadeus and appearances in A Room with a View, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Howards End, Shakespeare in Love, Inside No. 9, Doctor Who, and Lewis.
The Cherry Orchard
September 8-12, 2026
The repertory season opens with Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, the first play produced at Riverside Studios under Artistic Director Peter Gill in 1978. Flywheel Theatre Company presents a new staging of the classic drama about a family confronting the loss of its ancestral home.
The School for Wives
September 15-19, 2026
Molière's celebrated comedy The School for Wives follows in the second week of the season. The play previously appeared at Riverside Studios in a 1995 production by English Touring Theatre.
Phaedra
September 22-26, 2026
Jean Racine's 17th-century tragedy Phaedra returns to Riverside Studios' repertoire. The play was last staged at the venue in 2002 in a production directed by Deborah Warner.
Measure for Measure
September 29-October 3, 2026
Shakespeare's Measure for Measure takes the stage during the fourth week of the season. The morally complex drama was among the first Shakespeare productions presented at Riverside Studios, appearing there in 1979 with a cast led by Helen Mirren.
The Virtuous Burglar
October 6-10, 2026
The season concludes with Dario Fo's farce The Virtuous Burglar. Fo maintained a close relationship with Riverside Studios during the 1980s, presenting workshops at the venue alongside his wife and creative collaborator, Franca Rame.
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