Gate Theatre announces first shows for 2026!
The Gate Theatre is proud to announce its first shows for 2026, including the Irish premiere of Jonathan Spector’s Tony Award-winning comedy, EUREKA DAY, with Philippa Dunne of Motherland. This timely comedy which has taken London and Broadway by storm, will be directed by Roy Alexander Weise. Dealing with the impact of a mumps outbreak in a liberal, American elementary school, it asks the questions; is inclusion for everyone and reminds us how funny Zoom can be.
EUREKA DAY opens on 4th February with previews from 30th January. It runs till Saturday 7th March.
The Gate are delighted to welcome back our old friend Oscar Wilde, having first presented his work in 1929. AN IDEAL HUSBAND returns to the Gate stage for the first time in twelve years. Oscar Wilde’s beloved classic is a thriller with intrigue and deception at its core. It asks the question who would you support or who would you deceive when power and money are at stake. Expect Wilde’s trademark humour, glamour and frisson and some very high staked situations.
AN IDEAL HUSBAND opens on 13th May with previews from 8th May. It runs till Saturday 11th July.
The Gate presents an Irish premiere from one of the nation’s greatest living playwrights this July, with THE BRIGHTENING AIR. From Olivier Award-winning writer and director Conor McPherson (The Weir, Girl from the North Country) The Brightening Air is his captivating new play that explores what pulls us together and away from each other, and what parts fate and magic play in it all. Cast to be announced in 2026.
This is a presentation of the Old Vic production.
THE BRIGHTENING AIR opens on 22nd July with previews from 17th July. It runs till Sunday 30th August.
Speaking about today’s announcement, Gate Theatre Artistic Director Róisín McBrinn said:
As we prepare to open our fresh revival of A Christmas Carol, it gives us huge pleasure to launch our season for 2026. In this combination of an Irish premiere of one of the boldest new plays to come out of America (Eureka Day), a fresh and fizzy new production of a Wildean classic (An Ideal Husband), our return of the hit Poor and the Irish premiere of Conor McPherson’s brilliant new play (The Brightening Air), we are promising an eclectic combination of some of the globe’s best plays, classic and contemporary, in world class productions. It is a particular pleasure to welcome some international artists to the building including director, Roy Alexander Weise and our Poor partners, The Belgrade Theatre, Coventry.
We are very excited to welcome audiences, old and new, to the Gate and we look forward to inviting them on journeys that make them laugh, cry, and hopefully see the world a little differently. In keeping with our vision of ‘An Open Gate Where Everyone Has Access to Great Theatre’, we will continue to innovate with our Community Gateways Programme, our Gate Conversations and our Gate Crashes and ensure that access and excellence go hand in hand.
Priority booking for Gate Members for Eureka Day, An Ideal Husband and The Brightening Air is now open at gatetheatre.ie. Public bookings open from noon on Monday 17th November.