Kiln Theatre announces Amit Sharma's inaugural season

The season will begin on 19 September with the world premiere of Rob Drummond’s vaccine drama Pins and Needles, which is directed by Sharma.

The Kiln Theatre's new artistic director Amit Sharma has announced his inaugural season of work, which includes Roy Williams's adaptation of Sam Selvon’s The Lonely Londoners following its run at Jermyn Street Theatre.

The season will begin on 19 September with the world premiere of Rob Drummond’s Pins and Needles, which is directed by Sharma. This new play explores the politics around vaccines and who chooses to trust in the institutions that produce them.

Drummond's play is followed by The Purists by Dan McCabe from 14 November, which was originally staged at the Huntington Theater Company and directed by Tony Award winner Billy Porter. The show comes to the Kiln for its European premiere, and explores the collision of different subcultures and generations in New York.

Williams's adaptation of The Lonely Londoners opens on 10 January 2025 and looks at the hope and dreams of the Windrush generation.

The final show in the season which opens in April next year is the world premiere Amy Ng’s Shanghai Dolls. The play explores the untold story of two of the most influential women in Chinese history – actor Madame Mao and director Sun Weishi.

Speaking about the announcement, Sharma said, “I’m incredibly proud to share my first season as Artistic Director of Kiln. My ambition is to make sure we present world class theatre coaligned with new entertainment offerings – so we are well on our way in making this a theatre for all! We have two world premieres, one European premiere and a hugely exciting transfer.

"At the heart of the theatre programme are human stories which are fun, poignant, relatable, and make for a great night out! Pins and Needles, The Purists, The Lonely Londoners, and Shanghai Dolls are brilliant plays written by incredible playwrights. The common thread they all have is that they tackle the big conversations which explore our cultural and political life - past and present."

The Kiln announced its most ambitious outreach programme to date: The Kilburn High Road Project, a three-year collaboration with local communities, which will look at the stories of people who live and have lived near Kilburn High Road.

The new season will also include a new strand of Kiln Comedy Nights.

Book tickets to Pins and Needles on London Theatre.

Book tickets to The Purists on London Theatre.

Book tickets to The Lonely Londoners on London Theatre.

Check back for tickets to Shanghai Dolls on London Theatre.

Photo credit: Amit Sharma. (Photo by Mark Senior)