We are thrilled to announce our 2021 season and look forward to welcoming you back to the Young Vic this summer. Things may look a little different when you return, you can read about how we're keeping you safe here, but we're still offering you world-class theatre at affordable prices.
Young Vic Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah:
“My message to you for this new season is Welcome Back and Welcome Home. The Young Vic is, in my mind, a civic centre and a home-away-from-home for our community. It is a space for us to hear extraordinary stories told by the world’s finest artists that help us see the world through someone else’s eyes.
We can’t wait to welcome you back into our theatre. Some elements, such as the measures we have in place to ensure your safety, might feel slightly different as protecting our staff and audiences is – and always will be - our priority. But much will feel exactly like the Young Vic home you remember. We are committed to keeping ticket prices low, starting at £10. We continue with our £5 first previews. We will keep giving 10% of our tickets free to those who experience barriers to accessing the arts, our local communities, and early-career artists - irrespective of box office demand.
So join us to participate in the magic of live theatre, as we take you from Ancient Egypt to Artificial Intelligence, and everything in between."
So, what have we got planned? Without further ado...
LEGENDARY TALES, REIMAGINED
Our 2021 season opens with Changing Destiny, Booker Prize-winner Ben Okri’s stunning new adaptation of the 4,000-year-old Egyptian poem of Sinuhe the Warrior King, directed by Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah and designed by award-winning architect Sir David Adjaye.
We also announced the complete creative team announced for our highly-anticipated Hamlet, with Cush Jumbo in the title role, directed by her long-time collaborator Greg Hersov.
PLAYS ABOUT THE PAST THAT SPEAK TO OUR PRESENT
We've got a new play - Best of Enemies - written by Olivier Award-winner James Graham, which follows the debates that changed politics and television forever, directed by Jeremy Herrin in a co-production with Headlong.
We're also delighted to present Klippies, the acclaimed debut by Jessica Siân, a coming-of-age drama set in the twentieth year of South Africa's democracy about the intensity of first love, directed by Genesis Future Directors Award recipient Diyan Zora.
Best of Enemies is generously supported by The Charlotte Aitken Trust.
The Genesis Future Directors Award program is made possible by the Genesis Foundation.
PLAYING WITH DIGITAL
In a unique collaboration between human and computer minds, AI is a play developed by Chinonyerem Odimba and Nina Segal, written alongside GPT-3 OpenAI technology. Using this advanced deep-learning artificial intelligence system to generate human-like script and dialogue, Genesis Fellow and Associate Director Jennifer Tang and Company will create a new play for the stage. In a unique hybrid of research and performance, the script will be brought to life over a series of evenings by the writers, actors and company, alongside insights into how the artists collaborated with the AI.
We are thrilled to be launching Best Seat in Your House, our innovative multi-camera immersive broadcast experience inviting audiences to play with the broadcast form. Viewers choose between taking The Director’s Chair – with the possibility to cut live to any camera in the theatre at any time throughout a show, or relax and enjoy the live edit of a show with The Director’s Cut.
FOR AND WITH OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY
Young Vic Taking Part present the third YV Unpacked tour, taking a professional production to venues such as elderly care homes, homeless shelters and rehabilitation centres. Love Reign, an eclectic piece of new writing about friendship, is written by Shereen Jasmin Phillips and directed by Stef O’Driscoll.
Taking Part also brings the world of theatre and ballroom together in an explosive evening of music, dance, walking and partying with Sundown Kiki, a bold celebration of Queer South London in all its glory, with creative direction by Jay Jay Revlon and directed by Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu.
Cool, huh?
If you're our Friend - great news! You can book tickets for Changing Destiny and Best of Enemies from 20 May at midday.
If you want to access this priority booking, simply become our Friend today by clicking here. By becoming our Friend, you'll also be helping us to take creative risks, invest in new stories and artists, and share the joy of creativity with our neighbours.
Tickets for the general public to Changing Destiny and Best of Enemies will go on sale at 27 May at midday.
Tickets for Klippes, AI, Love Reign and Sundown Kiki will be released at a later date. We will also be announcing more news about Best Seat in Your House broadcast performances very soon. For all this, plus updates on Hamlet ticket releases, keep your eyes peeled on our website, or sign up to our newsletter to be the first to hear.
We're back, baby!
The Young Vic is supported by public funds from Arts Council England, Lambeth and Southwark Councils, and the UK Government’s Culture Recovery Fund.
The Young Vic’s 2021 season is made possible with support from the Garfield Weston Foundation's Weston Culture Fund.
Additional generous support is provided by the Genesis Foundation, and IHS Markit.
We gratefully acknowledge Ian Burford and Alec Cannell for generously supporting the Young Vic's mission.
