The original British theater productions are coming. Following a successful sold-out run at London’s Bush Theatre and in the West End, Olivier Award nominee Benedict Lombe‘s play, Shifters, is coming to New York City.
This summer, Shifters will set roots at the Cherry Lane Theatre. The Off-Broadway run starring Heather Agyepong (reprising her Olivier Award-nominated role of Des) and Daniel Ezra (playing Dre) will officially kick off on July 15 and run until August 30.
In a statement shared with Playbill, Benedict Lombe discussed the origins of the production.
“When I was invited to write a Black British love story for the stage by our director Lynette Linton, I thought a lot about the existing canon in this genre,” confessed Lombe.
Lombe continued, “Who gets to be viewed and celebrated as a romantic lead? Whose cultures and histories are brought into focus? Who gets to be audacious? Who gets to be complex and flawed and funny and intelligent and joyful and fully human? Shifters was born from this intentionality and specificity—a universal love story between a British Congolese woman and a British Nigerian man—that demanded nothing less than to shift the theatrical canon. Both onstage and offstage.”
To close, Lombe expressed excitement for the play’s forthcoming North American debut.
“We’ve journeyed from West London to the West End,” said Lombe. “And as we now make our way to the West Village, I’m so thrilled to be bringing the love story of Des and Dre to Cherry Lane Theatre—the most audacious theatre in town. See you there.”
Shifters is described as an “epic and universal love story about the enduring power of memory and young love.” The play follows Dre and Des as they rekindle a romantic flame but find themselves “caught in the space between memory and reality; they struggle to navigate the shifting borders that threaten to rewrite their past and reshape their future.”
Previews for Shifters will run from July 6, 2026, to July 14, 2026. Shifters will officially open on July 15, 2026, and run until August 30, 2026.
Shifters will be presented at Cherry Lane Theatre, located at 38 Commerce Street in New York City, New York. Tickets for Shifters are on sale now. To purchase tickets, click here.
Shifters Show Performance Schedule
07/06/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
07/07/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
07/08/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [2 p.m.]
07/10/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
07/11/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [2 p.m.]
07/11/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
07/12/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
07/13/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
07/14/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
07/15/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [2 p.m.]
07/15/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
07/17/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
07/18/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [2 p.m.]
07/18/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
07/19/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [2 p.m.]
07/19/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
07/20/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
07/21/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
07/22/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
07/24/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [2 p.m.]
07/24/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
07/25/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
07/26/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [2 p.m.]
07/26/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
07/27/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
07/28/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
07/29/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
07/31/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
08/01/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [2 p.m.]
08/01/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
08/02/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [2 p.m.]
08/02/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
08/03/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
08/04/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
08/05/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
08/07/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [2 p.m.]
08/07/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
08/08/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
08/09/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [2 p.m.]
08/09/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
08/10/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
08/11/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
08/12/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
08/14/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
08/15/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [2 p.m.]
08/15/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
08/16/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [2 p.m.]
08/17/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
08/18/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
08/19/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
08/21/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [2 p.m.]
08/21/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
08/22/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
08/23/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [2 p.m.]
08/23/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
08/24/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
08/25/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
08/26/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
08/28/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
08/29/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [2 p.m.]
08/29/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
08/30/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [2 p.m.]
08/30/2026 – New York City, NY @ Cherry Lane Theatre [7 p.m.]
Shifters Show Promotional Poster
