South Bank and Bankside Theatre Previews 2026 (July–December)

Last Updated on June 28, 2026

A guide to theatre on the Thames in the second half of 2026

London’s South Bank and Bankside scene kicks into gear in the second half of 2026. From sprawling Greek tragedies to an intimate portrayal of Jazz Age London, we’ve curated a selection of standout South Bank and Bankside productions not to be missed as the days get shorter. Are there exciting plays we’ve left out? Share your recommendations in the comments below!

National Theatre

The National Theatre’s Dorfman stage hosts a film-turned-musical throughout the summer. Pride was a cinematic hit in 2014, and 2026 sees director Mathew Warchus and writer Stephen Beresford reunite to bring this story of gay activism during the miners’ strikes to the stage. The production features original protest songs in the Welsh choral tradition (June 22 – September 12). The Dorfman then makes way for the week-long UK premiere of Tiago Rodrigues’s Catarina and the Beauty of Killing Fascists – a surtitled Portuguese play about political violence and the price of democracy (September 19 – 26). Finally, as the weather turns chilly, London heavyweight Blanche McIntyre directs Helen Edmunson’s Some Woman, a play about an ordinary woman thrown into extraordinary circumstances. Anne-Marie Duff stars from October 7 to November 21.

Down the road at the Lyttelton Theatre, Killing Eve’s Sandra Oh takes the lead as Alice, an outspoken novelist unable to accept the platitudes of fashionable ideas. Martin Crimp’s script is directed by Indhu Rubasingham from June 16 to August 1. After the summer heat, a new play by Benedict Andrews (A Streetcar Named Desire) lands at the Lyttelton with an all-star cast. Cate Blanchett, Nina Hoss and Ella Lily Hyland lead Electra/Persona – a serious psychological piece about the divisions between the actual self and the performed character (August 19 – October 10).

The beloved Olivier Theatre hosts The Story from August 27 to October 24. It’s a newsroom thriller about racism, truth and self-reckoning from writer Tracey Scott Wilson, directed by Clint Dyer. BAFTA Award-winning Letitia Wright (Black Panther) features alongside Ashley Thomas (Hostage), Lorraine Toussaint (Orange is the New Black), and Wilf Scolding (Cabaret).

The National Theatre
Upper Ground, South Bank, London SE1 9PX
Phone: +44 (0)20 7452 3000

The Young Vic

There’s still time to catch Alexander Zeldin’s debut play at the Young Vic. CARE is about a single mum, two feuding pre-teens and their gran. Zeldin also directs BAFTA Award-nominated Linda Bassett as an elderly woman confined to a care home she hates (May 11 – July 11).

The Young Vic’s Maria Theatre hosts Sophie Swithinbank’s new play Sting, about witch trials and injustice. Nancy Medina directs from June 18 to July 18. Then another film adaptation graces the main stage at the Vic in the shape of Thelma and Louise – a musical reworking of the Oscar and Golden Globe-winning film of the same name. Writer Callie Khouri fashions the iconic road movie to music by Neko Case. It’s directed by Trip Cullman from September 3 to October 24.

The autumn brings 2026 JMK Award-winning director Ewa Dina to the Maria Theatre for Girls, a story about kidnap, militant insurgency and friendship in 2014 Nigeria (October 22 – November 21). And to round off the year, stage stars Ben Whishaw and Kathryn Hunter lead Eurotrash, an adaptation of Christian Kracht’s bestseller. It’s a story about Europe’s dark history and one family’s comedic attempt to reckon with their dirty wealth. Colin Teevan’s adaptation hits the stage from November 13 to January 9.

The Young Vic
66 The Cut, Bankside,London SE1 8LZ
Telephone (Box Office): +44 (0)20 7922 2922

The Old Vic

In 1984, David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It runs at the Old Vic until July 18, with an all-female cast directed by Tony Award-winning Patrick Marber. The baton is then passed to How the Other Half Loves, a domestic farce about three couples in a love hexagon. The play cemented Alan Ayckbourn as one of Britain’s greatest modern writers. Phillips Green directs from July 29 to September 19.

Next on the bill, from the creators of Les Misérables, comes Olivier Award-winning Martin Guerre, a classic tale of identity theft. Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s musical is reimagined for the Old Vic for an unspecified five-week run in October.

To get Londoners into the Christmas spirit, Mathew Warchus’ version of A Christmas Carol is adapted for the stage by Jack Thorne. That runs from November 26 to January 9.

The Old Vic
103 The Cut, Bankside, London SE1 8NB
Telephone (Box Office/enquiries): 0344 871 7628

The Bridge Theatre

The Bridge hosts a gigantic Greek trilogy in late July. Aeschylus’s The Oresteia is a foundational text of Western drama. It’s about a family haunted by their participation in an unjust war, the burden of trauma and merciless violence. There’s an all-star cast including Tom Glynn-Carney, David Morrissey, Mary-Louise Parker, Rosie Sheehy and Archie Madekwe. Stone directs from July 2 to September 19.

Alongside this fifth-century masterpiece, the Bridge stages a Chekhov classic also directed by Simon Stone. Ivanov is about midlife angst, a claustrophobic marriage and disloyalty. It stars Hollywood heavyweight Chris Pine in his London stage debut (July 27 – October 16).

The Bridge Theatre
3 Potters Fields Park, Bankside, London SE1 2SG
Box Office / Enquiries Phone: 0333 320 0051 or 0333 320 0052

The Globe Theatre

There’s an extended run of Emily Lim’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream – an ode to love and magic – at the Globe this summer (June 24 – August 29). Alongside the midsummer pomp, Chelsea Walker directs a party-themed Much Ado About Nothing where style, status and bad behaviour are the flavours of this enduring romantic comedy (June 29 – October 24).

The autumn sees Associate Artist Indiana Lown-Collins make her directorial debut with Love’s Labour’s Lost. It’s a tale of unresolved love running July 17 – September 13. There’s also time to catch a co-directed As You Like It. Experienced Globe artists Sean Holmes and Charlie Josephine collaborate to bring this play of lust, revelry and live music to Shakespeare’s home on Bankside (August 14 – October 25).

Behind the main stage, in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, there’s a family-friendly play inspired by the tales of Shakespeare. Olivier Award-nominated creators of Rough Magic and Midsummer Mechanicals offer A World Elsewhere, an adventure story for all ages (July 25 – August 30).

Shakespeare’s Globe
21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London SE1 9DT
Box Office / Enquiries Phone: +44 (0)20 7401 9919

Southwark Playhouse

Over at the Southwark Playhouse in Borough, Phil Davies’s Firebird – which transferred to the West End in 2016 – rears its head again in London. Marlie Haco directs this taut drama about the bond between teenage girls after one is drawn towards an older man (July 9 – August 1). Also in Borough, Patrick Hamilton’s novel Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky – which was also a 2005 hit BBC drama starring Sally Hawkins – is adapted for the stage by Simon Reade. It’s about an intriguing love triangle in Jazz Age London and runs from September 10 to October 17.

Southwark Playhouse
77-85 Newington Causeway
London SE1 6BD
Box Office / Enquiries Phone: +44 (0)20 7407 0234

Summary

As summer temperatures soar into the thirties, there’s no better place to cool off than the banks of the Thames and the air-conditioned interiors of theatre auditoriums. Head to the river to enjoy everything from timeless Shakespeare to theatrical debuts. While we love the South Bank and Bankside theatre scene, if you’re after something different, look at our Off West End theatre preview for more recommendations – check the link below

London Theatre Previews, January – July 2026 – Off West End