HOME has announced three major new productions for its flagship stage, Theatre 1, headlined by a Shakespearean debut, a modernist reimagining, and a landmark American revival. The Autumn 2026 season reinforces HOME’s reputation as a vital hub for national co-productions, bringing urgent stories of power, memory, and legacy to Manchester audiences.
Literary Innovation and Shakespearean Drama
The season kicks off with a bold, contemporary adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway (Thu 24 Sep – Sat 26 Sep). Co-created by director Jen Heyes and Olivier Award-winner Kit Green, this immersive production arrives at HOME as the final destination of its UK tour. Green stars as Clarissa Dalloway, embodying a host of characters in a vibrant celebration of survival and identity that explores one extraordinary day where memory and loss collide.
Following closely is a gripping new production of Othello (Tue 29 Sep – Sat 10 Oct), marking the first time the Shakespearean classic has been performed on HOME’s main stage. Directed by Anthony Almeida, this co-production with Northern Stage, Royal & Derngate, and Citizens Theatre strips back the tragedy to explore the "urgent emotional clarity" of Iago’s manipulations. The production promises a visceral look at how fear and paranoia can dismantle a life built on passion.
A Landmark Revival
Rounding out the season is August Wilson’s Fences (Tue 3 Nov – Sat 7 Nov). Presented by the pioneering theatre company Headlong and directed by Daniel Bailey (Red Pitch), this is the first major UK revival of the American masterpiece in over a decade. Set in the 1950s, the play follows Troy Maxson as he grapples with his past while his family faces a reckoning that threatens to reshape their entire world.
A Season of High-Stakes Storytelling
By uniting the voices of William Shakespeare, Virginia Woolf, and August Wilson, HOME’s Autumn 2026 program offers a diverse theatrical landscape. From the intimate, internal world of 1920s London to the soaring tensions of a 1950s Pittsburgh backyard, these productions are linked by their exploration of the human struggle against social and personal expectations.
Tickets for the Autumn 2026 season will be available via the HOME website.
