Kiln Theatre announces two new shows in 2026 programming

Olivier Award winner Maimuna Memon brings back her gig theatre piece Manic Street Creature, while Martina Laird's Driftwood makes its London premiere.

Summary

• Olivier Award winner Maimuna Memon brings back her gig theatre show Manic Street Creature
• Following this is the Royal Shakespeare Company’s London premiere of Driftwood by Martina Laird

The Kiln Theatre has announced further programming as part of its 2026 season.

Olivier Award winner Maimuna Memon brings back her gig theatre piece Manic Street Creature in a new production, which will run from 5-28 March 2026.

Memon's show follows Ria, an ambitious singer-songwriter who is starting afresh in London. Charting the rise and fall of a rollercoaster relationship, Ria is recording her debut album with her band. But the further she gets into the album, the more music and memory collide.

The rest of the creative team includes director Kirsty Patrick Ward, designer Libby Watson, and musical arrangements by Memon.

The Royal Shakespeare Company’s London premiere of Driftwood by Martina Laird will run from 3 June – 4 July 2026.

Set in the Caribbean during the 1950s, Driftwood is described as "a deeply evocative story of self-determination and the search for family and belonging."

The play is directed by Chichester Festival Theatre's Artistic Director Justin Audibert, with set and costume design by Sadeysa Greenaway-Bailey.

Amit Sharma, Artistic Director/CEO of Kiln Theatre, said, “I'm absolutely thrilled to be welcoming two extraordinary pieces of work to Kiln in 2026. Maimuna Memon’s award-winning Manic Street Creature is an electrifying piece of gig theatre and I’m so excited to be giving it a new life here in a major production with Gary Beestone Associates. Alongside this, I am delighted to continue our wonderful relationship with the RSC presenting the London premiere of Martina Laird’s powerful debut play, Driftwood. I cannot wait to share these shows with our audiences - prepare to be wowed!”

Book shows in the Kiln Theatre's season on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Photo credit: artwork for Manic Street Creature and Driftwood. (Courtesy of production)