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FUSE International is set to take over multiple venues across Kingston in south-west London from 26 June to 5 July, bringing a programme of fringe theatre, dance and performance from artists based in the UK and abroad.
The festival returns after a year-long hiatus, with organisers confirming a lineup that draws performers from Romania, South Korea, Kenya, China, Sweden, Nigeria and India alongside UK-based acts.
The programme spans comedy, drama, contemporary dance, physical theatre and experimental performance, with shows staged across several Kingston venues including FUSEBOX Kingston, the Rose Theatre and ACT spaces.
International Productions Anchor The Programme
Among the headline productions is Lord of the Flies, performed by Romanian theatre group Acting Up Bucharest. The adaptation of William Golding’s novel examines themes of violence, bullying and the collapse of social order, framing the story as a meditation on the line between play and cruelty. It is scheduled for 2 July at ACT Main.
The Skins (or the Revenge of Princess Diana) takes a markedly different tone. Billed as an anarchic comedy, the show follows a character named Jen who stumbles upon an underground lair of alien creatures plotting world domination and must find a way to stop them. It plays on 2 July.
There is Rice at Home, scheduled for 3 July, blends drama with dark comedy. The show centres on a police officer who, on the eve of her closest friend’s funeral, encounters a stranger who introduces herself as Death. What follows is an exploration of friendship, grief and love.
Satirical Monologue Takes Aim At Corporate Language
Have Your It Way, playing on 4 July, takes aim at what its creators describe as the proliferation of meaningless language in publicity and corporate culture, a trend they argue has been made worse by large language models. The show is structured as a surreal monologue targeting the vocabulary of faux-creativity, initiative and entrepreneurialism that has become embedded in daily life.
Dance And Emerging Artists Feature Prominently
The Emerging Dance Showcase on 1 July at ACT Main offers a platform for up-and-coming dancers and choreographers working across contemporary, Indian classical, physical theatre and street dance styles. The evening is hosted by Creative Youth, a Kingston-based charity that runs several of the festival’s youth-oriented programming strands.
A separate Dance Showcase on 28 June at the Rose Theatre Main also features young performers working across a range of styles.
Pride In Kingston Launches Alongside The Festival
The opening weekend of FUSE International overlaps with the launch of Pride in Kingston, a new event running from 26 to 28 June in collaboration with the festival. The community-led programme is hosted by UNAPOLOGETIC and includes Pride in Kingston: After Dark at FUSEBOX Kingston on 26 June, described as a collision of performance, identity and self-expression.
Youth And Family Programming Runs In Parallel
Several shows across the festival period are aimed at younger audiences and families. AJO – The Sojourn, a multidisciplinary performance exploring migration and identity through dance, drama and visual storytelling, plays at ACT Main on 26 June. It is hosted by Peekok YouthARTS Initiatives.
Divine Tides, running 27 to 28 June at ACT Main, reimagines the myth of Icarus through circus and acrobatics, performed by young artists working with Acrosphere Circus.
Welcome to Broke Street, an original theatre piece about the challenges facing young people as they enter adulthood, runs at ACT Studio on 27 and 28 June. It is produced by CAPA College.
Fringe Programme Tackles Gender, Queerness And Identity
The fringe strand of the festival includes several shows dealing directly with questions of gender and identity. Retardant, playing 27 June at FUSEBOX Kingston, is a solo show by Isaac Quinn about an autistic Irish trans man navigating queerness, gender and the blurred lines between fiction and reality.
Manuel: A Journey Through Gender, scheduled for 28 June at FUSEBOX Kingston, is billed as a performance hangout featuring audience interaction, storytelling, lip-syncs, karaoke and live costume changes.
Why She Left Me, playing 2 July at ACT Studio, tackles the subject of suicide and loss, following a man who is offered a mysterious chance to reunite with his late wife.
The Basement Door Battle Of The Bands Also On The Bill
Live music features in the programme through The Basement Door Battle of the Bands 2026, taking place on 27 June at the Rose Theatre Main. The event is run by The Basement Door, a charity focused on supporting young people through live music, skills training and performance opportunities.
Festival Marks A New Chapter For Kingston Arts Scene
FUSE International is produced under the umbrella of Creative Youth, a registered charity based in Kingston. The organisation operates from the borough and runs community, learning and participation programmes alongside its festival activities.
With the festival’s return after a gap year, organisers have framed the 2026 edition as the beginning of a new chapter. Those interested in getting involved with future programming have been encouraged to contact the organisation directly.
Tickets for FUSE International shows are available through the festival website.
