Kyoto at Mitzi Newhouse Theater

Kyoto at Mitzi Newhouse Theater

After an incredibly successful premiere in Stratford-upon-Avon as well as a 2025 Olivier-nominated production in London’s West End, Kyoto is making its way to New York! The show is arriving at the Mizi E. Newhouse Theatre in October as part of Lincoln Center Theater’s 2025/26 Season. Penned by Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson (co-founders of Good Chance) and directed by the talented team of Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, the show revisits the difficult negotiations that led to the very first legally binding emissions targets, marking a huge moment in climate legislation that has shaped the environmental progress as we know it!

This play is an absolute must-see. Book your tickets now before it’s too late! 

Kyoto Tickets

October 2025

November 2025

“A play that dares to challenge” – Beyond The Curtain
“This dynamic dramatisation of the vital 1997 climate conference is urgent, emotional theatre” – London Theatre
“A crucial piece of theatre that nudges the world a little” – WhatsOnStage

Kyoto tickets

Kyoto at Mitzi Newhouse Theater

Kyoto is playing at the Mitzi Newhouse Theater from the 8th October to 30th November 2025. Opened in 1967, the off-broadway venue is located at 150 West 65th Street in the lower level of Lincoln Center Theater. Over the years, the Mitzi Newhouse Theatre has played host to major productions. It often houses politically charged shows like Oslo (directed by Bartlett Sher), Corruption (directed by Bartlett Sher), and Domesticated (directed by Anna D. Shapiro) – making it the perfect backdrop for this play!

Don’t miss out! To avoid disappointment, we highly recommend securing your places today – while you still can! The Mitzi Newhouse Theater is a comfortable and intimate venue where you’ll get to experience all the action live and up close. With only 299 seats in the theater, we know tickets won’t be around for long. 

“This play about the diplomatic consequences of commas deserves a string of exclamation marks” – The Guardian
Mitzi Newhouse Theater kyoto

Synopsis

Kyoto is set in 1997, at a time when the stakes in international diplomacy have never been higher. The impossible comes to life in Kyoto which Beyond the Curtain describes as a production that “challenges, questions, and sometimes makes you uncomfortable”. The play reveals the stark truth of climate politics and brings the high-stake negotiations of the 1997 Kyoto climate summit to life on stage as never before. 

Creative Team

Kyoto sees Tony Award-nominated actor Stephen Kunken reprise his celebrated West End role as oil lobbyist Don Pearlman. Other cast members include Jorge Bosch as Raul Estrasa-Oyulea, Peter Bradbury as Fred Singer, Kate Burton as USA, Feodor Chin as China, Erin Darke as Germany, Natalie Gold as Shirley, Daniel Jenkins as Gore/Bolin/Santer/Observer, Dariush Kashani as Saudi Arabia, Stephen Kunken as Don Pearlman, Rob Narita as Japan, Imani Jade Powers as Secretariat, Ferdy Roberts as U.K., Roslyn Ruff as Tanzania, and Taiana Tully as Kiribati. The understudies include Odera Adimorah, Luis Carlos de La Lombana, Paul Juhn, Clark Carmichael, Amelia McClain, and Lianah Sta. Ana. 

Kyoto was penned by Good Chance Theatre Artistic Directors, Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson (The Jungle). The creative team also includes Miriam Buether as Set Designer, Natalie Pryce as Costume Designer, Aideen Malone as Lighting Design, Christopher Reid as Sound Designer, Akhila Krishnan as Video Designer, Jim Carnahan and Alexandre Bleu, CSA as Casting Directors, Diane DiVita as Stage Manager, Ed Burnside as Associate Director, as well as Original Music by Paul Englishby.

RSC Co-Artistic Directors, Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey said: “Today, as the unshakeable reality of the global climate crisis looms large over COP30, Kyoto’s message of hope against seemingly insurmountable odds is a compelling demonstration of theatre’s unique power to thrill, entertain and inspire. Through collaborating with brilliant storytellers, we – like those early negotiators – can help change our world for the better.”

History and Awards

Kyoto is a political drama by Good Chance Theatre Artistic Directors Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson. The play had its world premiere at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in the summer of 2024. It then transferred to London’s West End, running at @sohoplace from January to May 2025. The popular show is crossing the pond for its North American premiere this year. Kyoto is making its way to Lincoln Center’s Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre in New York this fall, with previews beginning on the 8th October 2025. The show will have its official opening on the 3rd November, and performances will continue through November. 

The play has already received a lot of recognition (unsurprisingly!!). In the UK, it was nominated for the 2025 Olivier Award for Best New Play. What’s more, Jorge Bosch, who plays Raúl Estrada-Oyuela, received an Olivier nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Kyoto was also nominated for Best New Play at the 2025 WhatsOnStage Awards, and Miriam Buether’s set design snagged a nomination for Best Set Design. Critics fell in love with the work during its West End run, with The Times calling it “gripping” and Variety describing it as “extraordinarily funny.”

Kyoto broadway

Review

“These nitty-gritty negotiations, which eventually saw 1997’s Kyoto conference announce the first legally binding climate treaty, are the basis for Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson of Good Chance theatre’s new play, which reunites them with directing duo Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin. For a show that barely leaves the boardroom, it’s impressively dynamic. As compromises are made, and the room edges closer to reaching decisions, it’s also emotional – even though we know, 30 years on, how much still needs to change.

It’s a script-heavy play, which makes a change for Murphy and Robertson, known for their site-specific, Calais-set production The Jungle, and promenade, giant puppet-led The Walk – both awareness-raisers about the plight of refugees. They master it, never alienating their audience with overly scientific or political jargon, and finding humour in the pedantic reasoning over words”

by London Theatre

“A Riveting, Fast-Paced Political Thriller About Climate Change” – Variety