“This 2027 season at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre is a statement of intent: a big, bold celebration of our audience and the artists who make such incredible work here,” said O’Riordan. The venue unveiled an eclectic lineup featuring three world premieres, four London premieres, and the return of a Tony Award-winning hit.
The upcoming year kicks off with the return of Jocelyn Bioh’s Tony Award-winning play Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. Directed in the UK by Monique Touko, the production runs from 20 January to 27 February 2027, following a previous run at the venue. The staging reunites the creative team behind School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play.
Spring Premieres and Festival Partnerships
Inua Ellams’ Once Upon a Time in Sokoto takes the stage for its London premiere from 13 April to 8 May 2027. Presented by Fuel and directed by Roy Alexander Weise, the play won the 2024 Alfred Fagon Award. It follows the friendship between an enslaved woman and her former master against the backdrop of events leading to the creation of Nigeria.
The theatre also announced a new partnership with Hackney Showroom, bringing a studio residency that includes two yet-to-be-announced world premieres. As part of this collaboration, a festival titled Nice Pair will run from 8 to 20 March 2027. Four pairs of artists will receive a £6,000 fee each to develop original work alongside Hackney Showroom’s artistic team, with an open call running from 27 October to 29 November 2026.
Rufus Norris, the former artistic director and chief executive of the National Theatre, directs in London for the first time since leaving the organisation. He is staging Brock’s Mill, a Royal Shakespeare Company production written by Stewart Pringle featuring stop-motion animation by Astrid Goldsmith. After opening in Stratford-upon-Avon, it runs at the Lyric Hammersmith from 13 May to 5 June 2027.
Summer Adaptations and Scottish Collaborations
Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s bestselling novel Before the Coffee Gets Cold receives its world premiere theatrical adaptation by Conor McPherson. Running from 17 June to 17 July 2027, the story centres on a café where customers travel through time under strict rules, including a requirement to return before their coffee gets cold.
Following a run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, O’Riordan directs Kieran Hurley’s stage adaptation of Graeme Armstrong’s novel The Young Team. Staged as a co-production with the National Theatre of Scotland, the play runs from 31 August to 25 September 2027 before transferring to the Citizen’s Theatre in Glasgow. The story follows a young man named Azzy growing up in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, and exploring themes of friendship, loyalty, violence and belonging.
Rounding out the main stage, Sarah Frankcom directs Alistair McDowall’s adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s novel We Have Always Lived in the Castle. The world premiere explores the isolated Blackwood family and runs from 7 October to 6 November 2027.
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