Blockbuster new season at Leeds Playhouse

New productions of How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical, The Secret Garden, musical Little Shop of Horrors and Mary Shelly's Frankenstein - as well as Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and new contemporary drama premieres - feature in the newly-announced 2026-2027 season at Leeds Playhouse.

This will be the inaugural season for new artistic director Tom Wright, who said: "My first season begins with a simple idea: that theatre should entertain and challenge in equal measure and speak directly to the world we’re living in.

“Our ambition is for Leeds Playhouse to be a theatre where everyone feels welcome, and where some of the most exciting conversations in British theatre are happening.”

August Wilson’s Fences opens the season (September 11-26); set in the 1950s, this much-loved classic by one of America’s most influential 20th Century writers, is a story of ambition for our time. Directed by award-winning Daniel Bailey, it's a co-production between Leeds Playhouse, Headlong, the Lyric Hammersmith and

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Building on the sell-out success of its 2024 world premiere, playwright, poet, educator and former Leeds Playhouse writer-in-residence, Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan’s Peanut Butter and Blueberries (October 22-November 7) invites audiences to explore how to love when the weight of the world is on your shoulders.

Dr Seuss’s How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical is the theatre's Christmas show (November 19-January 16), directed by Tom Wright, with book and Lyrics by Timothy Mason and music by Mel Marvin.

Moving into 2027, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet runs from March 3-20 and will be followed by the premiere of Sirens (March 15-April 3), both written and directed by Tom Wright. It's a deeply human story in which ordinary people are bound together by unexpected danger.

Next spring also comes The Secret Garden, the much‑loved classic by Frances Hodgson Burnett, reimagined by writer Linda Marshall Griffiths and directed by the Olivier award nominee and UK Theatre Award winner Amy Leach. It's a co-production with Theatr Clwyd.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (May 12-29), will be adapted and directed by Leeds-born Jeff James. This new version discusses artificial intelligence, creation and the role of humanity in shaping technology.

The musical Little Shop of Horrors arrives as a summer treat (June 23-July 17).

Alongside the new season of productions, the Playhouse launches a refreshed programme of creative engagement through Playhouse Connect, opening the theatre more widely to audiences, communities and artists across Yorkshire. The company is also expanding its Furnace artist development programme, strengthening pathways for artists at every stage of their careers.

The programmes mark the beginning of a long-term commitment to building a sustainable ecosystem of writers and original stories rooted in Leeds, alongside a broader year-round programme of opportunities for directors, makers and theatre professionals.

More info and tickets here