We’re delighted to announce our 2022/23 season.

The season includes Anthony Neilson’s poignant and comical delve into the nature of mental illness, THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISSOCIA, directed by Emma Baggott, which opens in September 2022. Then, continuing our collaboration, our Artistic Director, Nadia Fall directs Ramps on the Moon’s first new play, VILLAGE IDIOT by Samson Hawkins, in a co-production with Theatre Royal Stratford East and Nottingham Playhouse.

Following this, we present the UK premiere of award-winning play, TAMBO & BONES, a satirical interrogation of the commodification and commercialisation of Black pain, written by Dave Harris and directed by Matthew Xia, in a co-production with the Actors Touring Company. 

This year’s pantomime, CINDERELLA by Leo Butler and Robert Hyman, is directed by one of our new Sky Arts Artistic Associates, Eva Sampson.

The season also includes work from youth companies including new play, PAINKILLER written by Sophie Ellerby and presented by the 2022 Stratford East Young Company, and the National Youth Theatre presenting Bola Agbaje’s Olivier Award-winning GONE TOO FAR!. 

We also welcome visiting productions including a Sheffield Theatres and Ramps on the Moon co-production of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING directed by Robert Hastie, and the ThickSkin and Traverse Theatre Company production of HOW NOT TO DROWN, the true story of an 11-year-old unaccompanied asylum-seeker. 

Priority booking for Theatre Royal Stratford East Members and customers with access requirements opens on Tuesday 24 May at 12pm. Public booking opens on Thursday 26 May at 12pm.  

In addition, today we announce our new Royalty Scheme, including Freelance Royalty, a new free membership scheme designed to support arts freelancers living or working in East London. The Freelance Royalty scheme offers exclusive benefits, including free or discounted rehearsal space, networking events, workshops, freelance surgeries and showcase opportunities for artists.  

We also launch Young Royalty, for 17-25 year olds, and Local Royalty, for those living in specific East London postcodes – with those eligible able to access £15 tickets across Theatre Royal Stratford East productions.

Stratford East’s Artistic Director, Nadia Fall said today, “This new season has a tantalising sense of mischief and the chance for a delicious collusion between the stage and the audience. From Anthony Neilson’s cult play, The Wonderful World of Dissocia, which transports us to another dimension, exploring mental health through a kind of Alice in Wonderland meets David Lynch experience, to the UK premiere of Dave Harris’ Tambo & Bones which looks at the commodification of Black lives with an actual hip-hop concert slap bang in the middle of it.  

Although each production tells its own unique story, conjuring up wildly different worlds, they are all brilliantly theatrical, often addressing the audience directly. It’s certainly the opposite of staying in and watching the television, unless you have a television where the characters leap out of the box and envelop you in the story! 

Village Idiot, Samson Hawkins’ debut play, invites you to a village fair where you can actually enter a meat raffle. And we’re delighted to announce Eva Sampson, one of our new Sky Arts Associates, as director for our panto Cinderella.  

We’re also excited to welcome a visit from Sheffield Theatres, with a Ramps on the Moon production of Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Artistic Director Rob Hastie. ThickSkin and Traverse Theatre Company bring us How Not to Drown, an incredible real-life story with human resilience at its heart, whilst National Youth Theatre present Bola Agbaje’s Olivier Award-winning Gone Too Far!.  Our talented Young Company take to the stage with painkiller, a new play by Sophie Ellerby. If there’s one thing that unites our next season it’s that of bold and unapologetically pure theatre.” 

Eleanor Lang, Stratford East’s Executive Director, commented, “Freelancers are the life blood of the theatre industry, and it is our job to support them at all stages of their career. We are, therefore, excited to launch Stratford East's Freelance Royalty Scheme. Our new scheme will provide a range of training and development opportunities, and provide freelancers who live and work in East London with a welcoming base.   

Newham was particularly affected by the pandemic and has huge challenges ahead, as the cost-of-living crisis deepens. We also know the deep effect the pandemic has had on young people. With both our local community and young people at the heart of our organisation, we are also delighted to launch two additional schemes - Local Royalty and Young Royalty. These schemes will ensure we can welcome everyone to our theatre, as we increase access to low-priced tickets here at Stratford East.”