The Barbican's Autumn 2022 Theatre and Dance Lineup Announced

Tickets go on sale to Barbican Patrons today, Barbican Members Plus on Thursday 16 June, Barbican Members on Friday 17 June and on general sale on Saturday 18 June 2022.

Toni Racklin, Head of Theatre and Dance at the Barbican, said "Today we launch our new autumn season in The Pit, which offers unique perspectives on some of today's pressing societal issues - including the climate crisis, accessibility, and the demonisation of a subgenre of music. With the previously announced production of My Neighbour Totoro in the main house, our autumn programme features artists from Japan, the USA, South Africa, Australia, and the United Kingdom, and includes four world premieres and one European premiere. There are innovative multidisciplinary performances that blend theatre, movement and striking visuals, collaborations with world class musicians and a magical stage adaptation of a firm family favourite. With six shows presented across The Pit and the Barbican Theatre, it's a truly cross-arts season with something for everyone."

In the Theatre, Joe Hisaishi and the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) present the global premiere of My Neighbour Totoro, a landmark adaptation of Studio Ghibli's enchanting classic coming-of-age film in collaboration with Improbable and Nippon TV. Last month the much-anticipated production broke Barbican box office records for ticket sales in a single day. The RSC are partnering with Barbican Creative Learning on an events programme for schools, including a day-long session for teachers, and a series of RSC Insight sessions for students, in response to My Neighbour Totoro. In the lead up to My Neighbour Totoro in the Theatre, we screen Studio Ghibli film Princess Mononoke on the Sculpture Court as part of our Outdoor Cinema screenings this summer.

Based in Maboneng, Johannesburg and founded by multidisciplinary artist William Kentridge, The Centre for the Less Good Idea is an incubator that supports experimental, collaborative, and cross-disciplinary arts projects. In October, we present an intimate evening in The Pit of six short performances that blend dance and live music and have been developed through the trailblazing Centre. This is the first time this programme of work has been seen outside South Africa.

Playwright, theatre maker and son of a climate scientist, David Finnigan relates how 75 hours in modern Australia came to collide with an epic sweep of history in You're Safe Til 2024: Deep History, a performance providing a snapshot of what our future might look like, and detailing how we arrived at this critical historical moment.

The theatre will present two winners of the Oxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust Award this year. HighRise Entertainment challenge myths about UK Drill and its links to violence in the world premiere of The UK Drill Project; which is developed through conversations with artists on the scene. Perfect Show for Rachel from Zoo Co gives Rachel, a theatre-loving 31-year-old learning disabled artist, the power to lead the creation of her own perfect show. The new, experimental production asks who defines artistic taste, and who is currently excluded. This is an exciting opportunity for the Barbican to collaborate with, and learn from companies, who have inclusivity and accessibility at the heart of their work. With the full and generous support of the Trust, each company will be awarded the full prize money to realise their proposal, which they've been developing over the past couple of years. The Barbican will work with the companies on a series of workshops exploring the themes of both shows.

The Barbican will also present the world premiere of An Anatomy of Melancholy, a collaboration between director Netia Jones, countertenor Iestyn Davies, and lutenist Thomas Dunford which draws on the work of Robert Burton, Sigmund Freud, Darian Leader and other contemporary psychoanalysts, and features the heart-rending music of Renaissance composer John Dowland.