The season’s flagship production is a fresh co-production with Clean Break. In Baby, playwright Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti (Scenes From Lost Mothers, Behzti) draws on her experiences working with Clean Break to shift perspectives on how women navigate motherhood while trapped within the constraints of the criminal justice system. Directed by Milli Bhatia, this new work sheds light on a mother’s survival and unwavering strength in motherhood.
Brixton House’s family of artists includes Emma Frankland, no stranger to grand gestures. The acclaimed performer helped demolish the site of the old venue with a group of trans women and femmes, excavating the stage in an explosive performance ritual that sought to uncover lost trans histories. Her spectacular, hard hitting and award-winning new show No Apologies arrives for its London premiere as part of a major world tour. Award-winning artist and activist LULA.XYZ is welcomed into the family with her multi-sensory solo show I AM – One of Many. Blending music, movement and digital storytelling through MiMu Glove wearable technology, LULA’s afro-futurist anthology series challenges traditional immigrant narratives and the future of theatre-making.
This year’s Housemates Festival invites seven writers to take over the building in September: Alejandra Chamorro Cuevas, Max Hyner, Lara Grace Ilori, Abir Mohammad, Razak Osman, Ariana Xeno and curator Danny Bailey (2025 Uprising Festival), who recently opened The Futurists exhibition (Windrush 2026 programme). The expanded festival is part of Brixton House’s deep commitment to invest in artists to develop their creative potential. Beyond its walls, the venue has previously supported artists such as LULA.XYZ to perform at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, tour nationally, and it paved the way for an award-winning commission on BBC Radio 4 (Corey Bovell’s Chicken Burger N Chips).
Alongside new works, Housemates Festival also includes three weeks of wrap-around events aimed at career and creative development. Collaborative sharing event for new work featuring emerging actors, A Space For Us All, is produced by Limitless Presents. The company’s founder, Lucie Lutte, is a former member of Brixton House’s Front-of-House team who established the inclusive actor training course to tackle class inequality in the sector.
Ruth Hawkins, Brixton House Executive Creative Producer, said: “I am thrilled to welcome back pioneering Clean Break with Baby, a beautifully crafted new play by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti shining a light on motherhood in the judicial system, and announcing the return of our flagship artistic development programme, Housemates Festival, back bigger and bolder for its fourth year. We are continually supporting new artists, delivering opportunities and opening up our space at a time when it’s most needed.”
Anna Herrmann, Clean Break Artistic Director and Joint CEO, said: “I am delighted for Clean Break to return to Brixton House with our new co-production this autumn, following our previous association in 2024. I have relished the work I have seen here over the past few years, as they hone their growing reputation for telling important contemporary stories, welcoming and supporting artists and offering something unique to the communities they serve. I can’t think of a better home for the gut-punching and urgent story of Baby, that we will bring to the stage in October.”
Beyond theatre, the season offers electric performance poetry events, Jawdance by Apples and Snakes and the National Poetry Collectives Showcase, co-presented with UniSlam. Brixton House Comedy arrives with a line-up of household names, plus fresh voices coming through the circuit with open mic opportunities alongside the headliners. Award-winning author of the Sunday Times bestseller, Queenie, Candice Carty-Williams, will discuss the contradictions of modern womanhood at a launch event for her new novel, Queenie Is Working On It. More intimate and incisive conversation awaits with There’s Something About Kelechi, a Live Podcast Recording from Kelechi Okafor, the irreverent host of Front Page Fxckery and the award-winning Say Your Mind podcast.
Throughout the summer, community activities include Rampage Sound DJ Institution, a hands-on training programme with experienced DJs, and Brixton House Youth Lounge, a brand new, six-week programme for young people aged 12-15. With Brixton House’s commitment to accessible programmes, free family drop-in activities across August will celebrate culture, carnival and community through hands-on play, visual art, drama, storytelling and movement inspired by Brixton’s Caribbean and Latinx heritage.
Autumn brings more opportunities to get involved. The Brixton House Community Choir, led by singer-songwriters Rachel Huggins and Abdul Shyllon, covers soul, jazz, gospel, pop, folk and reggae with public performances throughout the year. For families, the October half-term means more free drop-in activities. Adventures like the Harvest Roots Scavenger Hunt experience combine with seasonal crafts, storytelling and sensory play to inspire nature, discovery and connection.
Brixton House also continues its commitment to Latinx and Black British creatives. Its Associate Companies are CASA and Trybe House. CASA’s Lines of Flight continues with workshops, residencies, shows and the launch of Latinx Youth Theatre in autumn 2026. A new annual bursary will be established to honour the legacy of acclaimed Nigerian writer and filmmaker Biyi Bándélé, an initiative by the family in partnership with Brixton House and Curtis Brown. The first year will support three emerging writers of African diaspora heritage living in the UK, aged 18 and over. The award is designed to foster new talent, encourage bold storytelling, and amplify voices within theatre, film and literature. The bursaries will be awarded at an event at Brixton House in October, and the programme begins in Spring 2027.
Brixton House’s new season runs from Wednesday 24 June 2026 to 26 February 2027. For more information and to book, visit https://brixtonhouse.co.uk/
