Brixton Calling, Alex Urwin's play about the birth of the Brixton Academy, comes back to Southwark Playhouse Borough from 22 January to 13 March 2027, this time in the theatre's Large auditorium.
Brixton Calling sold out its first run at Southwark Playhouse in 2025, and the return engagement moves it into the building's larger space for seven weeks, with Bronagh Lagan directing once more. Press night is 27 January 2027 at 7pm.
That first production took more Off West End Awards than any other show at the 2026 ceremony, winning Best Overall Production, Best Lighting Design and Best Sound and Music Design. It also earned a WhatsOnStage Award nomination, nine Fringe Theatre Awards nominations and a place on the Ilfeld Prize for Playwriting shortlist.
The play is drawn from Simon Parkes' best-selling memoir Live at the Brixton Academy. In 1983 Parkes, then 23 and very much an outsider, paid £1 for a derelict cinema in Brixton, and within ten years he had turned it into one of the most famous music venues in the world.
Actor-musicians Max Runham, recently in Mother Courage and Her Children at Shakespeare's Globe, and Tendai Humphrey Sitima, whose credits include A Strange Loop, return as Simon Parkes and his ally Johnny Lawes, with both also taking on a string of other characters and playing guitar live throughout. They are joined on stage by musician Nadine Lee, who has worked with Self Esteem, Lizzo and Stormzy and played in the National Theatre's Wuthering Heights. The score leans on the Academy's own history, with songs by The Clash, Blondie, Bob Marley, Bruce Springsteen, Fela Kuti, Billy Ocean and The Prodigy, and Sean Green, musical supervisor on Sylvia, Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York), MJ the Musical and Get Up Stand Up!, joins the team in that role.
Parkes said: “Seeing my life and the wild history of the Brixton Academy explode onto the stage during the 2025 run was incredibly surreal. As someone who also navigates the world with one arm, seeing Max bring that same physical reality to the stage adds an undeniable level of authenticity. He creates an instant, powerful connection to the story. Both Max and Tendai are spectacular and I can't wait to see this larger, louder version blow audiences away.”
Originating producers Kick It Anywhere are now joined by Katy Lipson of Aria Entertainment, producer of KENREX, and by co-producer Guy James Theatrical. Lipson, who worked with Lagan on Cruise, said: “I was completely struck by the raw, kinetic energy of the original run produced by Alex and Kick It Anywhere. This new production offers the perfect opportunity to bring the show to a grander canvas. By upscaling Brixton Calling to Southwark’s The Large auditorium, we are giving this incredible team the space to amplify everything that made it a hit. It’s exactly the kind of bold, high-octane theatre we pride ourselves on championing.”
The creative team also includes set and costume designer Nik Corrall, lighting designer Derek Anderson, sound designer Max Pappenheim and AV designer Matt Powell. As in 2025, the company will work with South London grassroots organisations, among them Raw Material Music and The Soulstice Collective.
Brixton Calling runs at Southwark Playhouse Borough, 77-85 Newington Causeway, close to Borough and Elephant & Castle stations. Tickets went on sale on 15 October 2026 at £35, or £28.50 for concessions; the Pioneers' Preview on 22 January costs £10 and the previews on 23, 24 and 26 January are £16. Performances are Monday to Saturday at 7pm, with matinees on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 2.30pm. The show runs 110 minutes plus an interval, is recommended for ages 12 and over without a parent or guardian, and contains strong language throughout.
