Royal Court autumn 2026: Blood of my Blood and The Afronauts
The Royal Court on Sloane Square has spent seventy years premiering new plays, and its autumn programme keeps the tradition going with two world premieres, one in each of its theatres. For Knightsbridge theatregoers it is the closest serious new drama to home, and both productions are worth booking now, before the reviews arrive and the best seats go.
Blood of my Blood: from 13 October
Joy Nesbitt makes her Royal Court debut with Blood of my Blood, directed by Tatenda Shamiso, in the intimate Jerwood Theatre Upstairs from Tuesday 13 October to Saturday 7 November.
The play runs on two timelines. In Bullock Creek, South Carolina, in 1862, Ginnie Good raises five children in a cabin while war rages beyond the plantation. In the present day, the same cabin has become a fashionable Airbnb, where a pregnant Black woman uses conjure to commune with her ancestors. It is a play about inheritance, belonging and the voices of the past. The cast includes Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ, Jodie Campbell, Hannah Morrish, Karene Peter and Patrick Vaill.
- Running time: around 2 hours 10 minutes, including a 20-minute interval.
- Tickets: £15 to £30.
- Age guidance: 14+, with content guidance on the theatre's page.
- Extras: a post-show Q&A with Joy Nesbitt on the opening night, and captioned performances on Thursday 29 October.
The Afronauts: from 14 November
The bigger ticket of the season is The Afronauts, Ryan Calais Cameron's world premiere in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs from Saturday 14 November to Saturday 19 December, co-directed by Cameron and Monique Touko and produced with Nica Burns.
It is set in Zambia in 1964, as the world powers race for the moon, and follows a schoolteacher who gathers a group of misfit dreamers and trains them for lift-off: the true, or true-ish, story of the Zambian space programme. Lucian Msamati leads a cast that includes Ama Qamata in her UK stage debut, with sets by Soutra Gilmour. Tickets run from £15 to £74.50, and the age guidance is 14+.
How to get the best value
- Monday tickets: every seat is £15 on Mondays, released online from 9am on the day, subject to availability.
- Concessions: available on Thursday and Saturday performances for over 65s, students, under 26s, unwaged audiences and members of Equity, BECTU and WGGB.
- Booking fees: there is no booking fee on e-tickets booked directly, though tickets include a £1.50 restoration levy.
Which to see
If you prefer intense, close-up drama, the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs is a small, intimate room, and Blood of my Blood suits it. For a bigger night out with a festive-season feel, The Afronauts, with its larger cast and space-race story, is the one to book for December.
An evening on Sloane Square
The Royal Court sits on the east side of Sloane Square, beside the Underground station, so it is easy to pair with an early dinner on Sloane Street or the King's Road. Box office is on 020 7565 5000. Our things to do guide has more ideas for an evening out close to Knightsbridge.
