The Turn of the Screw opens at Arcola in new adaptation
Olivier Award-winning playwright Morgan Lloyd Malcolm has written a new adaptation of The Turn of the Screw now on stage at Arcola Theatre.
The production runs in Studio 1 from 11 September to 10 October 2026, according to Arcola Theatre. The theatre lists it as a world premiere, meaning this version has not been staged before. It forms part of Arcola's Autumn/Winter 2026 season and is also being presented on tour.
Nicky Allpress directs the show. Amy Tara leads the company as The Governess. Jim Fish plays two parts, an interrogator and the children's uncle, while Katy Slater plays the housekeeper Mrs Grose.
The children, Miles and Flora, are played by Toby Beynon and Kathleen McAuley Irvine. The casting was set out in WhatsOnStage coverage of the Arcola run and tour. For Beynon, the role of Miles is his professional theatre debut.
The production doubles its young cast with two other figures. Beynon and Irvine also appear in the silent adult roles of Peter Quint and Miss Jessel. The doubling keeps the story's ghosts and children in the same bodies on stage.
The staging is built around simple, flexible pieces. Designer Matthew Cassar has created a series of screens that stand in for windows or doors. Hattie North created the soundscape for the show.
The source is the ghost story by Henry James. WhatsOnStage has described it as a psychological suspense thriller, and as the inspiration for Susan Hill's The Woman in Black. Malcolm is known for Emilia, and Arcola notes her Olivier Award win in its season announcement.
Ahead of the opening, WhatsOnStage ran a promotion to win two tickets to see the show at Arcola. The Arcola listing dates the run to early autumn, placing it at the start of the theatre's winter programme.
For fans, this means a familiar chill told with a small company. Five actors carry the story. A spare set leaves space for the audience to decide what is real and what is not.
