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Shifters

July—August, 2026

Coming July 2026.

A Play by Benedict Lombe. Directed by Lynette Linton. Starring Heather Agyepong and Daniel Ezra.

Cherry Lane Theatre is proud to announce the North American premiere of SHIFTERS, the critically acclaimed, intoxicating, and fierce new romance by Olivier Award-nominated writer Benedict Lombe, and directed by BAFTA nominated and Evening Standard Theatre award-winner Lynette Linton.

This epic and universal love story is about the enduring power of memory and young love. Meet Dre and Des, they are young, gifted, Black. He stayed. She left. Years later they come crashing back into each other’s lives, carrying new secrets and old scars. 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.

Following a sold-out run at the Bush Theatre and in London’s West End, this electrifying production will make its highly anticipated North American debut at Cherry Lane Theatre, with previews beginning July 6th and an official opening set on July 15th, running through August 30th, 2026.

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Shifters

Jul 6 · Mon · 7:00 PM

Coming July 2026.

A Play by Benedict Lombe. Directed by Lynette Linton. Starring Heather Agyepong and Daniel Ezra.

Cherry Lane Theatre is proud to announce the North American premiere of SHIFTERS, the critically acclaimed, intoxicating, and fierce new romance by Olivier Award-nominated writer Benedict Lombe, and directed by BAFTA nominated and Evening Standard Theatre award-winner Lynette Linton.

This epic and universal love story is about the enduring power of memory and young love. Meet Dre and Des, they are young, gifted, Black. He stayed. She left. Years later they come crashing back into each other’s lives, carrying new secrets and old scars. 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.

Following a sold-out run at the Bush Theatre and in London’s West End, this electrifying production will make its highly anticipated North American debut at Cherry Lane Theatre, with previews beginning July 6th and an official opening set on July 15th, running through August 30th, 2026.

Shifters
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Founded in 1923, Cherry Lane Theatre is New York’s oldest Off-Broadway Theater and has come to be known as “The Birthplace of Off-Broadway.”

About the theatre
A black and white photo of the exterior of the Cherry Lane theater. The awning and banner both blow in the breeze, displaying the theater's name. A man in a suit leans against the railing.
Black and white photo from the stage of the seating at the Cherry Lane theater.
An older black-and-white photo of the square nearby. Cars in the foreground frame a giant mural with an arrow pointing to Cherry Lane.
A wide shot of the theater stage being set up. Workers move around while scaffolds are set up on either side.