Two UK Premieres And More Set for Kiln Theatre 2026-2027 Season
NINE NIGHT, TABLE 17, and BERLIN headline Amit Sharma's upcoming season at the Kilburn venue.
Kiln Theatre has announced Amit Sharma's new 2026/27 season, featuring two UK premieres, a new production of an award-winning play, and a community production.
The season opens with Sonia Jalaly's All The Things We Can't Explain, a new play commissioned for Kiln Theatre's Intergenerational Company, comprised of 80 community cast members ranging from ages 6 – 88, co-directed by Kane Husbands and Izzy Rabey, presented on the Kiln Main Stage from 31 July – 1 August 2026 (Opening Night: Friday 31 July) as part of this summer's Kilburn High Road Festival.
In the autumn, Douglas Lyons' new comedy Table 17, which follows two ex-fiancés meeting again for the first time in two years, makes its UK premiere. Tony Award nominated (2026, Cats: The Jellicle Ball) Zhailon Levingston directs multiple Olivier-Award nominated Marisha Wallace playing Jada, joining Michael Rishawn who reprises his role as River/Eric, following the play's sold-out runs in New York and LA, with further cast to be announced. Produced in association with Jamie Wilson Productions and Mark Cortale, Table 17 runs 17 September – 24 October 2026 (Press Night: Thursday 24 September).
This is followed by Natasha Gordon's award-winning play, Nine Night, directed by Amit Sharma, blending humour and poignant family dynamics as three generations of a London family gather at a traditional Jamaican wake. Kiln Theatre's new production of Nine Night runs 12 November – 19 December (Press Night: Friday 20 November).
Completing the season is the UK premiere of Berlin, a gripping romantic thriller by one of Australia's most exciting playwrights Joanna Murray-Smith, directed by Lucy Bailey, following an acclaimed run in Australia. Produced in association with Eleanor Lloyd Productions and Eilene Davidson Productions, Berlin runs 10 March – 17 April 2027 (Press Night: Wednesday 17 March).
Amit Sharma said today, “I am so thrilled to announce our new season at Kiln Theatre! It's one that feels both intimate and expansive, rooted in our community here in Kilburn as well as reaching out across the world.
We open with something truly special and what Kiln is all about – Sonia Jalaly's All The Things We Can't Explain, with 80 members of our Intergenerational Company taking to the mainstage kicking off the Kilburn High Road Festival. Then Douglas Lyons' Table 17 arrives from the US – sharp, funny, and irresistibly romantic! Natasha Gordon's Nine Night is a play I have long adored, full of laughter, love, and the beautiful messiness of family. And Joanna Murray-Smith's Berlin is a gripping play with electric intimacy that will keep you on the edge of your seat...
I can't wait for this season to unfold and for you to fall in love with these extraordinary artists and stories.”
Kiln Theatre continues its commitment to making theatre accessible, with the continuation of a £5 ticket rate for residents of Brent and Camden to all preview performances across the new season. This is in addition to their existing £10 ticket rate for under 26-year-olds. Kiln will also offer 1,000 free tickets to local people of all ages who might not otherwise be able to see a Kiln Theatre production.
Full creative teams and casting for all productions to be announced.
Priority booking is open now for Kiln Friends and Kiln Card holders. General on sale opens Wednesday 3 June at 12pm.
A Kiln Theatre production
ALL THE THINGS WE CAN'T EXPLAIN
by Sonia Jalaly
co-directed by Kane Husbands and Izzy Rabey
31 July – 1 August 2026
Opening night: Friday 31 July, 7pm
With a pre-show reception from 5pm
As long as this heart lives, so too will Kilburn.
Kilburn is at a crossroads. Local institutions are being closed, The Suits are sniffing around, and there's talk of 'rejuvenation'. When out of nowhere, a mysterious object presents itself - the bloody, beating heart of Kilburn.
As excitement around this unprecedented discovery spreads, the community is under threat, can the people of Kilburn come together and hold on to what's theirs?
In this flagship community production, Kiln's Intergenerational Company, made up of 80 cast members ranging from ages 6-88, take to the mainstage to kick off the new season.
The production kicks off The Kilburn High Road Festival, the culmination of Celebrating our Stories: The Kilburn High Road Project, our three-year heritage project made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery Players.
Sonia Jalaly is writer, theatre maker and facilitator. Her credits include plays written for Lyric Hammersmith, Theatre by the Lake, Royal Exchange Theatre and Clean Break. Sonia has delivered playwrighting projects for young people at The National Theatre.
Kane Husbands is a director, choreographer and Artistic Director of The PappyShow, known for his work in movement, physical theatre and inclusive theatre. He has collaborated with organisations including National Theatre, Old Vic, Chichester Festival Theatre, National Theatre of Scotland and Sheffield Crucible. Kane is the Course Leader for BA Performance: Design Practice at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London.
Izzy Rabey is a director and facilitator. They have made work for The Royal Court, National Theatre Wales, The Southbank Centre, Soho Theatre and English Touring Theatre. Izzy has worked extensively as a facilitator delivering arts projects with Hayaat Women's Trust, Cardboard Citizens and Kiln Theatre. Her work with young people expands over ten years, delivering work in pupil referral units, Autism units and youth centres around the UK.
A Kiln Theatre production in association with Jamie Wilson Productions and Mark Cortale
TABLE 17
directed by Zhailon Levingston
17 September – 24 October 2026
Press Night: Thursday 24 September, 7pm
Two exes. One dinner. What could go wrong?
Would you go to dinner with your ex? The one you were engaged to, but haven't spoken to in years? You're over them - right?!
Jada and Dallas are hashing things out in this sharp, hilarious new comedy. Can they leave 7 years of baggage at the door to give their love a second chance? Is the spark even still there? Or will the weight of their past pull them apart before the night ends?
Following sold-out runs in New York and LA, Douglas Lyons' (Chicken & Biscuits) award-winning play, directed by Zhailon Levingston (CATS The Jellicle Ball), makes its UK premiere at Kiln. Featuring Marisha Wallace as Jada and Michael Rishawn as River/Eric, with further casting to be announced, get ready to give love a second chance this autumn.
Douglas Lyons is a GLAAD, NAACP and Emmy nominated writer, an Audelco award-winning playwright, actor, and composer whose work has spanned Television, Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Film. Douglas served as a writer and composer on Apple TV's Fraggle Rock. His Broadway playwriting debut Chicken and Biscuits was the 2nd most produced play in the U.S. in 2022-23. His other theatrical works include the Off Broadway hit: Beau, the Lucille Lortell award-winning Table 17, Don't Touch My Hair, Polkadots, Five Points, Pure Glitter, and Mother. Daughter. Father. Son. Douglas' Broadway acting credits include Beautiful, the Tony award-winning revival of Parade and the Book of Mormon. He is currently developing television with SkyDance and Ryan Reynolds' Maximum Effort as well as writing the script for the stage adaption of the Warner Brothers animated classic Happy Feet.
Zhailon Levingston is a 2026 Tony Award nominee for Outstanding Direction of a Musical for co-directing the NY Times critics pick and hit revival of Cats: The Jellicle Ball, an immersive reimagining of the classic musical that first premiered in 2024 at NYC Perelman Arts Center. The production earned Levingston an Obie Award (co-Directing), as well as Drama Desk, Drama League x 2 and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for Outstanding Direction of a Musical. Now playing on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theater, Cats: The Jellicle Ball has received 9 Tony Award nominations, including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Direction of a Musical for Zhailon alongside co-director Bill Rauch.
Zhailon's first “Broadway” job was selling tickets to Broadway shows in Times Square. In 2017, he sold concessions for multiple Broadway theatres. At 27 years old, he became the youngest Black director in Broadway history, directing the Broadway production of Chicken and Biscuits. His other directing credits include Wonderful Town at New York City Center Encores; Reconstructing at Brooklyn Academy of Music (co-directed with Rachel Chavkin); Little Miss Perfect (Olney Theatre Center); Patience at Second Stage Theatre; and Table 17 at MCC Theater (Lortel Award nominee for Outstanding Direction) and Los Angeles' Geffen Playhouse (NAACP Theater Award nominee for Best Director of a stage play).
Levingston is the board chair of the Broadway Advocacy Coalition, Artistic Director of Inheritance Theatre Project, and co-created a ‘Theatre of Change' course at Columbia University School of Law that is still being taught today. Once a year he returns to his hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana to direct theatre as a way to stay connected to his roots.
Marisha is a double-Olivier nominated actress and singer, hailing from North Carolina, USA. Her most recent credits include starring in Something Rotten! at the Manchester Opera House. In 2025, she returned to Broadway to take on the role of Sally Bowles in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club – her performance was featured as one of the 16 best theatre moments of 2025 by the New York Times. She is double Olivier Award nominee for her work in Guys and Dolls (directed by Sir Nick Hytner – for which she was also nominated for an Evening Standard Award) and Oklahoma! (Young Vic Theatre).
Later this year, Marisha will be headlining a sold-out set of concerts at the world-famous Jazz Club, Ronnie Scott's.
Theatre credits include Bea in Something Rotten! (Manchester Opera House), Sally Bowles in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, Broadway & the West End, Miss Adelaide in Guys & Dolls at the Bridge Theatre, where she was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical, Ado Annie in Oklahoma! at the Young Vic where she was nominated for WhatsOnStage, Evening Standard and Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical, Becky in Waitress (Adelphi Theatre), Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray (Coliseum), Effie in Dreamgirls (Savoy Theatre), Aladdin (Broadway), and Something Rotten (Broadway).
Television/Film credits include Feel Good (Netflix), Jingle Jangle (Netflix), Almost Never (CBBC), and Aladdin (Disney).
Music credits: Marisha is an international singer-songwriter. She frequently collaborates on new music with songwriting legends Toby Gad (Beyoncé, John Legend) and Steve Anderson (Kylie Minogue). TV appearances include Royal Variety Show, Strictly Come Dancing, The Festival of Remembrance, and Dancing on Ice.
Michael Rishawn is an award-winning, classically trained actor whose work spans theatre, television, film, and voiceover. He is the recipient of a Lucille Lortel Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award, and Drama Desk recognition. He appeared on Broadway in Ain't No Mo' and originated roles in Table 17 (MCC Theater, Geffen Playhouse) and Handjob (Echo Theater Company). Additional stage work includes performances with L'Alliance New York at Florence Gould Hall and at Carnegie Hall.
Screen credits include And Just Like That…, FBI: Most Wanted, Raising Dion, Survival of the Thickest, Bunk'd and Crutch. He received classical theatre training in England as part of his formation at The Hartt School, trained at Shakespeare Theatre Company of DC under Michael Kahn, and holds an M.F.A. from UC San Diego.
A Kiln Theatre production
NINE NIGHT
directed by Amit Sharma
12 November – 19 December
Some secrets don't make it to the grave.
When Gloria passes, her family gathers for the traditional Jamaican Nine Night. And that means the whole family.
As more and more mourners gather bringing rum and curry and complaints, tensions build, and the family must face some uncomfortable truths.
'A spirit never wan fi leave de family home'; and there's still 8 days left...
Amit Sharma (Retrograde, Please Please Me) directs this brand-new production of Natasha Gordon's critically acclaimed debut play celebrating the humour and hardships of grief.
Natasha Gordon is a British playwright and actress of Jamaican descent. Her debut play, Nine Night, enjoyed a sold-out run at The National Theatre in April 2018 before transferring to Trafalgar Studio in 2019. In 2022 the play received its US premiere at the Round House in Washington DC and a revival was produced by Leeds and Nottingham Playhouses in the UK. In 2018 Natasha won the Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards as well as the Critics' Circle Award. Nine Night was also nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Comedy. She is currently working on commissions for The National Theatre and for television.
As a performer, her stage credits include: Nine Night (Trafalgar Studios); Red Velvet (Tricycle Theatre / St Ann's Warehouse); The Low Road and Clubland (Royal Court Theatre); Mules (Young Vic) and As You Like It (Royal Shakespeare Company).
Film and TV credits include Dough; Line of Duty; You, Me and the Apocalypse; and Danny and the Human Zoo.
Amit Sharma is Artistic Director and CEO of Kiln Theatre. An international award-winning director of theatre and television, he most recently directed Please Please Me, as well as Pins and Needles and The Purists for Kiln. Sharma directed the critically acclaimed and sell-out run of Retrograde at Kiln, transferring to the West End's Apollo Theatre in March 2025. He has also directed two productions at The National Theatre - The Solid Life of Sugar Water (Graeae Theatre Company/Theatre Royal Plymouth co-production) and The Boy With Two Hearts (also Wales Millennium Centre). Sharma is a BAFTA nominated director, for his two films which were part of the Criptales season on BBC and BBC AMERICA. He also co-directed the award-winning BBC and NETFLIX television drama Then Barbara Met Alan (Best Single Drama, 2023 Broadcast Awards). Before becoming Artistic Director, Amit was Associate Director at Kiln and was previously Deputy Artistic Director of Birmingham Rep, Associate Artistic Director at the Royal Exchange, Manchester, and Associate Director at Graeae Theatre Company where his journey into theatre began. He also co-directed Prometheus Awakes, one of the largest outdoor productions featuring Deaf and disabled artists as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad (Graeae Theatre Company/ Greenwich+Docklands International Festival/ Stockton International Riverside Festival/La Fura Dels Baus); and Aruna and The Raging Sun in Chennai, India as part of UK/India Year of Culture 2017. He began his training at Graeae Theatre Company with Missing Piece 1. His other theatre credits include One Under
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