The Gate Theatre has announced an ambitious new season, reaffirming its commitment to international storytelling and addressing urgent global themes. The season features the European premiere of David Finnigan’s Scenes from the Climate Era, a powerful new short film, and a significant partnership with Woven Voices to champion migrant playwrights.
Leading the artistic vision is Atri Banerjee, now appointed as Artistic Lead for the Gate. Banerjee will direct Scenes from the Climate Era, a "bold rollercoaster ride" tackling the most pressing question of our time: how do we live in the face of ecological collapse? Playing at The Playground Theatre from September 23rd to October 25th, 2025, Finnigan’s formally inventive play promises a dizzying series of vignettes, packed with humor and heart, exploring the evolving conversations around the climate crisis. "Everything has broken loose, and it’s dizzying," says Finnigan, whose work integrates climate and earth science into theatre.
Adding to the season’s offerings, the Gate is releasing ‘This Room, Now,’ a vibrant new short film written by Chris Thorpe and performed by Thorpe alongside Tamara Lawrance. Directed by Atri Banerjee, this "love letter to theatre and its possibility" will be streamed for free online with Exeunt magazine for three months, starting today, June 27th.
Further cementing its international focus, the Gate is thrilled to partner with Woven Voices for the Woven Voices Prize for Playwriting. Now in its third year, this prestigious award creates a vital pathway for migrant artists in the UK, providing a commission and bespoke R&D for winning scripts, and celebrating their crucial contributions to multicultural Britain.
Nicola Clements, CEO of the Gate, emphasized the season’s global reach: "This season of work is about the whole world over. At the Gate, we’re committed to stories across borders; what impacts us all, the things that tear us apart, and those that bring us together." She highlighted the partnership with Woven Voices and the short film as integral to their mission.
Through these diverse projects, the Gate Theatre continues its founding mission: to bring people together through powerful, international stories that resonate deeply in an increasingly fractured world.
