Celebrate 140 years of Stratford East with a jam-packed season of shows that celebrate our community spirit, carrying the baton of the past brightly into the now, and on into the future.   

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“I am excited to announce our 140th anniversary season, which is also my final season as Artistic Director of Stratford East. Though I’m already teary about leaving at the end of the year, this programme is very much my love letter to the theatre, staff, artists and audiences. And we certainly intend for it to be a brilliant celebration of our big birthday!"
Artistic Director, Nadia Fall 

As we step into the new year, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of George Orwell's iconic political fable ANIMAL FARM, we are excited to present a powerful adaptation of this modern classic. The visceral and moving production serves as a timely reminder of the true meaning of equality, offering fresh insights into Orwell's enduring message.

Up next is an extraordinary debut play, THE WOMEN OF LLANRUMNEY by Azuka Oforka, starring Suzanne Packer (Casualty), which leaps from laugh-out-loud funny to downright harrowing, set on a plantation in Jamaica on the eve of a revolutionary uprising.

Due to popular demand, Dave Harris’ thought-provoking satire TAMBO & BONES returns, once again directed by Matthew Xia. Spanning 500 years of history, TAMBO & BONES laughs through our past, blows the roof off our present and imagines an explosive future for our world and for theatre.

In the summer, the co-creators of the hit podcast My Dad Wrote A Porno debut their hilarious and life-affirming new musical romcom LOVESTUCK about falling in love... with yourself.

The theme of love continues with ROMEO & JULIET, a large-scale community show presented in partnership with Sadler’s Wells. This unique adaptation brings together our talented young artists and local community alongside a professional cast to retell Shakespeare’s timeless love story.

Finally, in the autumn, we present the groundbreaking musical THE HARDER THEY COME, featuring the incredible reggae music of Jimmy Cliff together with a new book by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning writer Suzan- Lori -Parks, based on the cult film.  

Alongside the main stage programming, there will be a series of events – the first, a panel talk exploring Stratford East's heritage of championing Black and Asian artists and audiences, hosted by Chinonyerem Odimba, Artistic Director of tiata fahodzi, with the panel including Roy Williams, Tanika Gupta, Jo Martin and Dipo Baruwa-Etti. The second, a panel talk delving into Stratford East’s history of staging political work, hosted by Mark Thomas with a panel including Amy Leach.  

Our programme of one-night events continues, with the return of LIVE AT STRATFORD EAST on Fri 08 Nov; CANNED LAUGHTER, a mixed-bill comedy night raising funds for the Trussell Trust on Thu 05 Dec; and KIELL SMITH-BYNOE: KOOL STORY BRO on Fri 13 Dec, with further events to be announced.    

We hope you’ll come and celebrate with us in this milestone year.