Leeds Playhouse has announced its Spring/Summer 2026 Season – a bold programme of progressive, inclusive productions offering hope and connection. Highlights include three home-grown shows: Small Island, Planet Omar, and Brassed Off, alongside acclaimed visiting work such as James Graham’s West End hit Punch, Ballet Black’s 25th anniversary celebration, and Dash Arts’ Our Public House. Returning favourites I, Daniel Blake and The Beekeeper of Aleppo join a dynamic mix of new voices and familiar collaborators, setting the stage for an exhilarating year and paving the way for new Artistic Director Tom Wright’s inaugural season, which will be announced in spring 2026.
Chief Executive Shawab Iqbal said: “Our Spring/Summer 2026 Season is a bold statement of the stories we believe in. Our home-grown productions – Small Island, Planet Omar and a new staging of Brassed Off – are led by some of the UK’s most dynamic and exciting artists: Matthew Xia, Amy Leach, Sameena Hussain and Asif Khan. They sit alongside exceptional visiting work including Punch, by award-winning James Graham, fresh from its run in London’s West End, and Ballet Black’s 25th anniversary celebration. Together, these productions reflect the richness and diversity of our communities across Leeds, Yorkshire and beyond. Leeds Playhouse remains a home for artists and audiences – a place where everyone can feel seen, heard and inspired, something that matters more than ever in the world we live in today.”
Leeds Playhouse’s Spring/Summer 26 season
Marking the 30th anniversary of Mark Herman’s iconic 1996 film, Brassed Off returns in a powerful new stage production directed by award-winning Amy Leach (Animal Farm, Best Play Revival at the 2025 UK Theatre Awards). Adapted by Paul Allen, this moving story follows the Yorkshire mining community of Grimley as they face colliery closure and fight to keep their brass band, and their spirits, alive. Brassed Off is a rousing celebration of resilience, solidarity, and the unbreakable power of community. This Leeds Playhouse production will include live music from local brass bands.
Quarry Theatre, 18 June – 11 July
Director Amy Leach said: “It’s a real honour to bring Brassed Off to the stage in a fresh new production, especially as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the iconic British film. This story of resilience, community and the unifying power of music feels just as urgent and moving today as it did in 1996. With live brass band performances and a brilliant creative team, we’re reimagining Grimley Colliery Band’s journey for a new generation and I can’t wait to share it with audiences at Leeds Playhouse.”
Audiences will journey from the shores of Jamaica to the cold, grey streets of 1940s London in Small Island, a powerful and intimate new portrayal of Andrea Levy’s multi award-winning novel, adapted for the stage by Helen Edmundson. Directed by Olivier Award-winner Matthew Xia, it offers a deeply personal and richly evocative take on Levy’s epic story of love, hope and belonging. A Leeds Playhouse, Birmingham Rep and Nottingham Playhouse production, in association with Actors Touring Company.
Quarry Theatre, 11 – 28 March
Director Matthew Xia said: “Small Island resonates deep in my bones. As someone of Jamaican and English heritage – my own father arrived from Jamaica in the 70s – I’ve personally navigated many of the tensions and connections Andrea Levy so powerfully explores.
“Audiences can expect to be immersed in an intimate, atmospheric production that evokes the textures and tones of the 1940s: the sharp cut of a demob suit, calypso crackling through a wireless, the gloom of blackout curtains.
“Small Island is about migration and memory, empire and entitlement – but also about love, across culture, colour, and class. I want this version to speak directly to audiences today, and open space for reflection in a Britain still reckoning with its past.”
In April, Leeds Playhouse, with Unicorn Theatre and Birmingham Rep, will stage the world premiere of Planet Omar, a joyful and imaginative new stage adaptation of Zanib Mian’s much-loved children’s book series. Adapted by award-winning Bradford playwright Asif Khan, this dynamic production invites audiences into the wonderfully chaotic world of 8-year-old Omar, where everyday life is full of big questions, bigger adventures, and boundless imagination. Directed by Sameena Hussain, it was commissioned by Leeds Playhouse, who acquired the stage rights from Hachette Children’s Group, publishers of the original books. With playful visuals, energetic storytelling and a heartwarming message about family, friendship and finding your place in the world, Planet Omar is set to delight audiences of all ages.
Courtyard Theatre, 7 – 25 April
Director Sameena Hussain said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be telling this story. Planet Omar centres the power of friendship and imagination, and it’s bursting with fun. I truly believe children are the best of us and we can learn so much from their honesty, creativity and resilience. Asif is a brilliant writer with an incredible ability to bring care and humour to important issues. This is a humanising story, and in these times, that feels more vital than ever.”
Northern Stage, in association with Leeds Playhouse, presents I, Daniel Blake – a powerful stage adaptation of Ken Loach’s 2016 award-winning film, which played to packed houses at the Playhouse in 2023. Adapted by stand-up comedian, actor, and writer Dave Johns, who starred in the original film, this urgent and moving production explores the harsh realities of poverty and bureaucracy through the story of Dan and Katie, two strangers brought together by circumstance.
Courtyard Theatre, 28 April – 9 May
Dash Arts are a Disability led visual arts organisation. Their new offering, Our Public House, is produced in association with Leeds Playhouse and opens in Leeds prior to a UK tour. It’s a funny and big-hearted new show created by Josephine Burton and written by Barney Norris, with music and lyrics by Jonathan Walton. Set in a local pub during a storm, tensions rise and truths spill out as landlady Sanjana, regular Scott, and a cast of unexpected guests confront love, secrets, and change. Featuring live music and the real words of people across England, this immersive production explores community, democracy, and the power of speaking your mind. All performances are captioned, with one BSL-interpreted show per venue.
Courtyard Theatre 15 – 23 May
Throughout the Spring/Summer 26 season, Leeds Playhouse welcomes some of the UK’s most dynamic and high-profile theatre companies, artists, dance companies and comedians.
Click here to explore the whole season.
