Irish Cultural Centre Launches Inaugural Shaw Festival
A three day celebration of the centenary of George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
May 18, 2026
The Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith will host the first ever Shaw Festival London this July, a three-day celebration honouring the life, legacy and Irish roots of George Bernard Shaw, a century after he received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1926.
Running from Friday 10 to Sunday 12 July, the festival is presented in partnership with The Shaw Society and brings together theatre, film, lectures and discussion in a programme designed to reintroduce Shaw ’s wit, politics and enduring relevance to contemporary audiences.
The festival opens on the Friday evening with a double bill of rarely seen films about Shaw, including An Interview with Sir Michael Holroyd, the celebrated biographer whose insights into Shaw’s life and work have shaped modern understanding of the playwright. It is followed by Shaw’s Corner, a moving one-man performance starring Dermot Walsh as Shaw in his later years. Both screenings will be followed by a Q&A with Shaw Society Vice-Chair Murray Rosenthal and writer Neil Titley, offering audiences a chance to explore Shaw’s world through those who have studied him most closely.
Saturday’s programme begins with a lecture by Dr Audrey McNamara of University College Dublin, who will examine the emotional and psychological tensions at the heart of Shaw’s 1894 play Candida. Later that evening, Rumpus Theatre Company presents a full production of Candida, directed by John Goodrum and featuring a cast led by Sarah Wynne Kordas. The play’s mix of romantic rivalry, social critique and Shaw’s trademark verbal fireworks promises an evening of sharp humour and emotional depth, followed by a post ‑show conversation with the director and cast.
On Sunday, Murray Rosenthal returns with a lecture on Shaw and feminism, tracing the playwright’s progressive ideas on gender, the influential women in his life, and his correspondence with Mrs Patrick Campbell. The festival closes with a free screening of Shakes Versus Shav, the award ‑winning 2023 puppet-film adaptation of Shaw ’s final published play, featuring the voices of Colm Meaney and Derek Jacobi. Directors Damian Farrell and Gerry Hoban will take part in a Q&A afterwards — and will even bring along the puppets themselves.
For the Irish Cultural Centre, the festival marks the beginning of what it hopes will become a major annual event. “This will be a rich and vibrant celebration of the work of the great playwright George Bernard Shaw,” said ICC Cultural Director Rosalind Scanlon. “We look forward to this becoming a cornerstone of London’s cultural calendar.”
Maureen Clark-Darby, Chair of The Shaw Society, echoed the sentiment. “It is vitally important that we keep his genius alive not only for this generation but for future generations, ” she said.
Tickets start from £5, with a three-day festival pass available for £30. Full details and booking are available at irishculturalcentre.co.uk.
The centre can be contacted on 0208 563 8232.
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