Ivanov
Starring Chris Pine
Written & Directed by Simon Stone
After Anton Chekhov
Sat 4 July – Sat 19 September 2026
Chris Pine to star in Ivanov at London’s Bridge Theatre written and directed by Simon Stone, after Anton Chekhov, in July 2026
A new production of Ivanov, written and directed by Simon Stone (after Anton Chekhov), will open at the Bridge Theatre in July 2026 starring Chris Pine in his London stage debut as Nikolai Ivanov.
Ivanov will begin previews on Saturday 4 July 2026 with an opening night scheduled for Tuesday 14 July. The production, which is in collaboration with Wouter van Ransbeek, will play for 11 weeks until Saturday 19 September 2026.
Simon Stone, acclaimed Australian theatre and film director known for his radical reimagining of classic works, continues to make the Bridge Theatre his London home, with The Lady from the Sea currently playing until 8 November starring Alicia Vikander and Andrew Lincoln. On making his return with Ivanov and Chris Pine next summer Simon said:
About Chekhov
“Chekhov is the master of finding the humour in our suffering and the crisis lurking underneath our joy. A mercurial magician of character drama, he elevates the seemingly banal to the sublime and then pops the balloon just as it’s getting too poetic. As the mighty Jean Renoir said in his film The Rules of the Game, ‘everyone has their reasons’. During his career as a doctor Chekhov developed a deep empathy and curiosity for his fellow human, and his writing beats with the heart of a great humanist. The characters are gifts to complex, versatile actors: existence writ messily and lovingly, an ode to imperfection.
“I’m thrilled to be returning to The Bridge for my second outing after the wonderful experience of The Lady from the Sea. The space couldn’t be more perfect for Chekhov: the tension between the modern and the historic is embodied in the building and its location. This pioneer of cross-generational drama wanted his plays to be a jousting match between the past and the future, a space to examine who we have been, are and will become. He also knew that great entertainment had to have true existential reflection underpinning it and that philosophy and politics are meaningless without a dose of irony to keep us sane. The perfect mixture of comedy and tragedy.
“After admiring Chris from afar for a long time it was a delight to discover that not only is he a thespian from way back but he’s uniquely sensitive and brilliantly intelligent too. I’ve seen in his work how hilarious he can be but also how moving: you can’t do Chekhov without both. Ivanov is the most knotty of his male characters, a challenge and a gift. I just can’t wait to unleash Chris’ version on London audiences!”
Chris Pine is an American actor, director, producer and writer known for his wide-ranging roles across film, television, and stage. Best known for appearing on screen in Star Trek, Hell or High Water, and Wonder Woman, his stage credits in the US include The Atheist, Fat Pig, Farragut North and The Lieutenant of Inishmore.
Chris Pine said:
“I’m delighted to be collaborating with Simon on his new production of Chehkov’s Ivanov. I’m excited to bring this complex character and story to life and to take part in Simon’s singular creative process. It’s been over ten years since I was on stage and to be able to return to it in London at the beautiful Bridge Theatre is a thrill. I can’t wait to start.”
Nikolai has forgotten how to be happy. Or was he ever? Is it just burnout? He’s married to the perfect woman, he’s had a successful career: he should be heading into mid-life feeling confident and settled. Sure there’s some debts piling up, and his wife has been laid low with unexplained illnesses recently but they’ve jumped bigger hurdles before. What exactly is gnawing at him? Why does the world feel like it’s falling apart? Maybe he just needs to shake it off. There’s a party at the Lebedevs tonight!
Can Nikolai save his marriage, his will to live, and his career all at once? Or was it always destined to go tits up?
Writer and director Simon Stone is joined by the same creative team who brought The Lady from the Sea to life; set designer Lizzie Clachan, costume designer Mel Page, composition and sound designer Stefan Gregory, lighting designer Nick Schlieper, and casting director Jessica Ronane CDG.
Further casting to be announced.
Ivanov is produced by London Theatre Company and Wouter van Ransbeek.
Ivanov is on pre-sale for Bridge Theatre priority members now and goes on pre-sale to advance members and access patrons Thursday 23 October at 12 noon. Public booking opens on Friday 24 October at 12 noon via bridgetheatre.co.uk.
| BIOS Chris Pine (Nikolai Ivanov) is an American actor, director, producer and writer known for his wide-ranging roles across film, television, and stage. He has received critical acclaim for his performance in films such as Star Trek, Hell or High Water and Wonder Woman. Pine’s notable stage work includes The Atheist (Center Stage, NY), Fat Pig (Geffen Playhouse), Farragut North (Geffen Playhouse), and The Lieutenant of Inishmore (Mark Taper Forum) and two seasons at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. He made his directorial debut with Poolman and continues to showcase his versatility with stage and voice roles. Pine founded Barry Linen Motion Pictures and recently published his first children’s book, When Digz the Dog Met Zurl the Squirrel.Simon Stone (Writer & Director) is an acclaimed Australian theatre and film director, renowned for his contemporary adaptations that explore timeless human dilemmas. He founded independent theatre company The Hayloft Project in 2007, where he adapted and directed productions such as Spring Awakening, Platonov, and The Only Child (a version of Ibsen’s Little Eyolf which won the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Independent Production). His adaptation of Ibsen’s The Wild Duck at Belvoir earned him the Helpmann Award for Best Play and went on to play internationally. He has since worked with theatre and opera companies across the world. His production of The Lady from the Sea is currently playing the Bridge Theatre starring Alicia Vikander and Andrew Lincoln.Productions include Yerma at the Young Vic, starring Billie Piper, which won the 2017 Olivier Award for Best Revival, and later transferred to the Park Avenue Armory, New York. He followed this production in London with Phaedra at the National Theatre, featuring Janet McTeer. His adaptation of Medea, originally with ITA Amsterdam, transferred to the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) in 2020, starring Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale. His opera work includes Innocence for the Festival d’aix-en-Provence, which won the Olivier Award for Best New Opera in 2024 after its season at the Royal Opera, London, Lucia di Lammermoor, his debut for the Metropolitan Opera and La Traviata at the Paris Opera. His feature film The Woman in Cabin 10 starring Keira Knightley premiered on Netflix in October 2025. Previous features include The Daughter (2015) and The Dig (2021), also for Netflix. Stone is renowned for his contemporary adaptations that explore timeless human dilemmas.Wouter van Ransbeek (Producer) is a cultural leader and creative producer working at the intersection of theatre, music, and innovation. He began his career at the age of 21 as a programmer for leading European festivals, including Ruhrtriennale, Wiener Festwochen, and Theater der Welt – where he also began a long-standing collaboration with director Ivo van Hove. In 2006, he joined Toneelgroep Amsterdam (TGA) as co-artistic director, helping transform it into a globally acclaimed company, attracting world-class talent and nurturing artists such as Simon Stone and Robert Icke, both of whom launched their European careers under his leadership. Wouter played a key role in the formation of International Theatre Amsterdam (ITA) and initiated ITALive, a digital platform that brought live theatre to international audiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, he was appointed associate artistic director of the Adelaide Festival for a three-year term, a role in which he now continues as an advisor. That same year, he founded The Rainmakers, a production company focused on cross-genre collaborations.Today, Wouter works nationally with leading Dutch artists in pop and theatre, and internationally with creatives and institutions such as Esther Perel, Sting, Simon Stone, Eline Arbo, LG Arts Centre (Korea), Dramaten (Sweden), the Southbank Centre (UK), and the Bridge Theatre (UK) – developing boundary-crossing projects that redefine the role of culture in the 21st century.ABOUT THE BRIDGE AND LONDON THEATRE COMPANY The first new theatre of scale to be added to London’s commercial theatre stock in 80 years, The Bridge opened in 2017 as the home of London Theatre Company (LTC) which was founded by Nicholas Hytner and Nick Starr with the backing of a group of prominent VC investors. The Bridge’s innovative design and construction, a collaboration between Haworth Tompkins Architects and Tait, responds to the ambitions and imagination of theatre-makers with a flexible auditorium that is capable of different configurations and formats and provides audiences with excellent views, comfort and close-up connection to the actors. LTC’s second space, in King’s Cross, opened in 2023 as Lightroom, a co-venture with 59 Productions in collaboration with lead investor Danny Cohen (for Access Entertainment) and Mike Sherwood (ex co-CEO Goldman Sachs London) and other investors. Lightroom debuted in February 2023 with David Hockney’s show Bigger & Closer and has since presented shows with Tom Hanks (Moonwalkers), Vogue (Inventing the Runway), Yuja Wang, Coldplay and Apple TV, (Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs). |
