This autumn brings an exciting season of theatre shows in Liverpool and across the wider city region. The line-up includes fresh takes on Shakespeare, Arthur Miller and Jane Austen, alongside a striking adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Unity Theatre presents Woodhill, exploring the hidden history of HMP Woodhill, while Liverpool’s Empire Theatre welcomes the powerful and acclaimed The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
If you’re planning an autumn night out, here’s our selection of must-see theatre shows in Liverpool and across the city region.
Death of a Salesman – Liverpool Everyman (19 September – 10 October)
Death of a Salesman is contemporary as well as timeless – an unforgettable drama that speaks to our everyday dreams and the pressures of our changing working world.
Seamlessly weaving past and present into one of theatre’s most enduring stories, Death of a Salesman reveals a family at breaking point and a man in conflict with his own sense of worth. Can Willy and those around him survive? Or will their gleaming tomorrow become a tarnished and tragic today?
Rubbish Shakespeare Company: Romeo & Juliet – The Atkinson (26 September)
The Rubbish Shakespeare Company presents Romeo & Juliet, a tragedy like no other. Three hapless idiots attempt the Bard’s most famous love story using nothing but a box of tatty wigs, a worn floral dress, and a burst airbed found by the bins.
This acclaimed take on Romeo & Juliet is a riotous hour of frenetic slapstick, clowning and fourth-wall-breaking chaos. Taking huge liberties with the original text, the company splices Shakespeare’s classic lines with modern gags, physical comedy and gloriously silly storytelling that keeps everyone – from age 5 to 105 – completely hooked.
The Picture of Dorian Gray – Shakespeare North Playhouse (7 – 10 October)
This bold new adaptation of the classic novel celebrates Wilde’s dazzling wit and dark imagination. Stylish and unsettlingly thrilling, The Picture of Dorian Gray plunges you into a world where charm is currency and the truth always exacts its price.
In a society obsessed with youth and beauty, Dorian Gray is offered the ultimate prize: eternal perfection. But perfection comes at a price, one that must be paid in blood.
Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) – Liverpool Playhouse (13 – 17 October)
After its triumph in the West End where it won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy and the Evening Standard Award, Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) is a unique and audacious retelling of Jane Austen’s most iconic love story.
Men, money and microphones will be fought over in this irreverent but affectionate adaptation where the stakes couldn’t be higher when it comes to romance. This multi-award-winning production features a string of pop classics including Young Hearts Run Free, Will You Love Me Tomorrow and You’re So Vain.
High Tea – Liverpool Irish Centre (19 October)
Victoria Fradgley’s one act play High Tea serves a sharp, funny and devastating reckoning between two estranged sisters. The production is part of Liverpool Irish Festival 2026.
Set against the weight of Irish family history, the play explores how love curdles into resentment, how our memory can betray us, and whether reconciliation is possible when the past refuses to stay buried.
Woodhill – Unity Theatre (21 – 22 October)
Gut punching choreography and unflinching beats shine a light on the hidden story of HMP Woodhill. Lyrically told in their own words, three families investigate what happened to their deceased boys. What they discover is so haunting, it turns their world upside down. Pushing the form of documentary theatre and dance, Woodhill is an explosive true story by multi-award-winning LUNG and originally developed with The North Wall.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Liverpool Empire Theatre (3 – 7 November)
What begins as the search for a culprit soon reveals secrets closer to home, forcing him to confront truths that will test his courage, his family, and his understanding of trust, independence, and the wider world.
Inventive, gripping, and moving, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time combines the intrigue of a whodunnit with a powerful coming-of-age story in an unforgettable theatrical event.
For even more things to do this autumn in Liverpool and the city region check out our What’s On Listings.