Five Plays Give Nod to Riverside Studio’s Theatrical Heritage
In Conversation series also returns with Simon Callow and Lindsay Duncan
Left: Simon Callow. Right: Lindsay Duncan
August 24, 2026
Riverside Studios continues its 50th anniversary celebration with an autumn theatre season that looks both backwards and forwards — honouring the landmark productions that shaped its past while unveiling major new work that signals the ambition of its future. Alongside a five-play repertory season revisiting classics from Riverside’s history, the In Conversation series returns with leading actors who have performed at the theatre.
The anniversary celebrations centre on REP: Radical Classical, a five-week repertory programme created with Flywheel Theatre Company and Veritas Productions. A single ensemble of five actors will perform five plays in rotation, each chosen for its connection to Riverside’s theatrical heritage. The season runs in Studio 3 from 8 September to 10 October and opens with Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, the first play staged at Riverside under Peter Gill in 1978. Flywheel’s new interpretation revisits the story that became the venue’s first major hit.
The repertory continues with Molière’s The School for Wives from 15–19 September, Racine’s Phaedra from 22–26 September, and Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure from 29 September to 3 October — a play first staged at Riverside in 1979 with Helen Mirren in the cast. The season concludes with Dario Fo’s farce The Virtuous Burglar from 6–10 October, a nod to Fo’s mid-1980s workshops at the venue with Franca Rame. Audiences can book all five productions at a discounted rate, with a press night scheduled for 10 September.
Riverside’s anniversary programme also includes two special fundraising events featuring actors closely associated with the venue. Simon Callow, who has appeared at Riverside more than any other performer, will discuss his career on 6 September. Lindsay Duncan follows on 11 October, returning to the venue where she played Portia in Peter Gill’s Julius Caesar in 1980. Both events will support Riverside’s commitment to providing accessible space for emerging artists and community projects.
While the repertory season celebrates Riverside’s past, the venue’s Mainstage 26–27 season launches with a bold new work that looks squarely at contemporary America. From 26 September to 21 November, Riverside will host the world premiere of Affluenza, written and directed by Tony Award-winning producer Andy Sandberg and starring Noah Schnapp, known worldwide for his role as Will Byers in Stranger Things.
Affluenza is inspired by a real legal defence that argued a teenager was too wealthy, too indulged and too sheltered to understand right from wrong. Set in the Hamptons, the play follows the fallout from a drunken car ride that ends in devastation, raising uncomfortable questions about privilege, accountability and the generational impact of wealth. Schnapp, who began his career voicing Charlie Brown in The Peanuts Movie before joining Stranger Things at age 11, takes on one of his first major stage roles in a production that blends satire with moral inquiry. The play runs for 2 hours 15 minutes including an interval and is recommended for ages 14 and above.
Season curator Daniel Thurman says the anniversary programme reflects Riverside’s dual identity as both a historic cultural institution and a home for new creative voices. Previous In Conversation events have featured Helen Mirren, Lenny Henry and Robert Lindsay, and Thurman expects this year’s programme to be equally engaging.
With repertory classics, star-led conversations and a high-profile world premiere, Riverside Studios’ 50th anniversary season offers a vivid portrait of a venue that continues to evolve while honouring the artists who shaped its story.
Riverside Studios is at 101 Queen Caroline Street, Hammersmith W6 9BN.
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