National Theatre announce new Season to April 2011

The National Theatre has announced its new Season productions and platforms to April 2011.

Public booking opens 1 Dec 2010 for new productions.

New shows in The Olivier Theatre...

FRANKENSTEIN
by Nick Dear, based on the novel by Mary Shelley, opens 23 Feb 2010, following previews from 5 Feb - booking to 17 April 2011 Directed by Danny Boyle. Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller will alternate the roles of Victor Frankenstein and the Creature. Childlike in his innocence but grotesque in form, Frankenstein's bewildered creature is cast out into a hostile universe by his horror-struck maker. Meeting with cruelty wherever he goes, the friendless Creature, increasingly desperate and vengeful, determines to track down his creator and strike a terrifying deal.

New show in The Lyttelton Theatre...

GREENLAND
by Moira Buffini, Matt Charman, Penelope Skinner and Jack Thorne. Dramaturg Ben Power, opens 1 Feb 2010, following previews from 25 Jan - booking to 2 April 2011. Directed by Bijan Sheibani. Cast includes Michael Gould, Isabella Laughland, Amanda Lawrence, Tunji Lucas, Lyndsey Marshal, Peter McDonald , Rhys Rusbatch. What on earth is happening to our planet? Who knows what, and what can or should be done about it? The questions we all have about the environment and the future are exhilaratingly intricate. Knowing what and who to trust is an increasingly bewildering challenge. Only a few things are certain: every living thing is related to every other living thing; our actions have consequences; change is constant and inevitable. Seeking to understand a subject of great complexity, the National Theatre has asked four of the most distinct and exciting playwrights in British theatre to collaborate on a new piece of documentary theatre. The team has spent six months interviewing key individuals from the worlds of science, politics, business and philosophy in an effort to understand our changing relationship with the planet.

ROCKET TO THE MOON
by Clifford Odets, opens 30 March 2010, following previews from 23 March - booking to 10 April 2011. Directed by Angus Jackson .Stunning, stockingless, ruthless in her youth, Cleo Singer arrives in Ben Stark's dental practice and turns his married, humdrum world upside down. She promises passion, escape, if only he knew how. But Stark is not alone in his frustrated dreams and in those stifling, shared offices there's rivalry over a woman discovering life, a woman who's hungry for expression and for love. And she's no pushover, she's looking for the real deal.

New shows in The Cottesloe Theatre...

THE HOLY ROSENBERGS
by Ryan Craig, opens 16 March 2010, following previews from 8 March - booking to 31 March 2011. Directed by Laurie Sansom . Starring Henry Goodman. As big-hearted patriarch David clings to a deal that could save both his ailing catering firm and his cherished standing in the Edgware Jewish community, his children are at loggerheads. While eldest son Danny fights for the Israelis in Gaza, his sister investigates war crimes in that same conflict. Their brother drinks and brawls and refuses to join their father's business. But when tragedy strikes, each family member is forced to confront head-on the clash between individual identity and the demands and expectations of community.

Productions extending booking period ....
Men Should Weep now closing 10 Jan 2011.
Fela! now closing 23 Jan 2011.
Hamlet now closing 26 Jan 2011
Seasons Greetings now closing 13 March 2011.
 

New Platforms....

Unless stated: 6pm / Length 45 mins / £3.50

Marianne Elliott on Season's Greetings
4 Jan, Lyttelton
Director Marianne Elliott talks about her new production of Alan Ayckbourn's Christmas tale.

Bill T Jones on FELA!
5 Jan, Olivier
The director discusses his visionary production, featuring his own Tony Award-winning choreography.

Talking Hamlet - Hamlet: Rory Kinnear 10 Jan, Olivier - 3pm (1hr), £5/£4
A series of afternoon interviews with members of the company of Twelfth Night and Hamlet, in which they talk about the play and their roles.

Fela: The Man behind the Music
14 Jan, Olivier
Discover more about the extraordinary life and the legacy of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, with contributions from colleagues and friends.

In Rehearsal: Hamlet
18 Jan, 3.45pm, Olivier
Nicholas Hytner explores the rehearsal process for Hamlet with members of the acting company, offering an insight into the production's journey from first rehearsal to opening night.

Talking Hamlet - Gertrude, Hamlet's father and Claudius: Clare Higgins, James Laurenson & Patrick Malahide
20 Jan, Terrace Bar - 3pm (1hr), £5/£4
A series of afternoon interviews with members of the company of Hamlet, in which they talk about the play and their roles.

Talking Hamlet - Polonius, Laertes & Horatio: David Calder, Alex Lanipekun & Giles Terera
25 Jan, Terrace Bar - 3pm (1hr), £5/£4
A series of afternoon interviews with members of the company of Hamlet, in which they talk about the play and their roles.

Shakespeare on Screen: Hamlet and Twelfth Night
27 Jan, Cottesloe
Shakespeare has inspired some unforgettable screen moments. Using clips from Hamlet and Twelfth Night films by Olivier, Branagh and Nunn, and some genre adaptations, Daniel Rosenthal explores the rich variety of Shakespearean cinema.

Talking Twelfth Night - Orsino & Viola: Marton Csokas & Rebecca Hall
31 Jan, Cottesloe - 3pm (1hr), £5/£4
A series of afternoon interviews with members of the company of Twelfth Night, in which they talk about the play and their roles.

Moira Buffini, Matt Charman, Ben Power, Bijan Sheibani, Penelope Skinner & Jack Thorne: Creating Greenland
3 Feb, Lyttelton
The four writers join their director and dramaturg to talk about the collaborative process of creating Greenland and the discoveries they have made on the way.

Talking Twelfth Night - Malvolio, Olivia & Feste: Simon Paisley Day, Amanda Drew & David Ryall
04 Feb, Cottesloe - 3pm (1hr), £5/£4
A series of afternoon interviews with members of the company of Twelfth Night, in which they talk about the play and their roles.

Talking Twelfth Night - Toby, Andrew & Maria: Simon Callow, Charles Edwards & Finty Williams
07 Feb, Cottesloe - 3pm (1hr), £5/£4
A series of afternoon interviews with members of the company of Twelfth Night, in which they talk about the play and their roles.

Rewriting the Nation
7 Feb, Cottesloe
Aleks Sierz is joined by Sebastian Born, Ruth Little and Ben Power; this collection of literary managers and dramaturgs discuss the latest trends in new writing, examined in Sierz's book, Rewriting the Nation.

In Conversation with... Mark Gatiss
Wed 9 Feb
3pm (1hr), Lyttelton, £5/£4
Members of the Season's Greetings company talk about their careers and current role, and answer your questions. Chaired by Al Senter.

Ron Moody
11 Feb, Cottesloe
In his frank and fascinating memoir, Ron Moody reveals the twists and turns of his 50-year career, and his approach to creating characters such as the original Fagin in Oliver!

Bjørn Lomborg: Cool It! - The Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide to Global Warming
15 Feb, Lyttelton
A controversial figure in the climate change debate, the self-proclaimed Danish 'skeptic', academic and environmental writer talks about his much-discussed and criticised analysis on the subject as outlined in his book and film Cool It.

Christopher Bigsby on Arthur Miller
16 Feb, Cottesloe
Christopher Bigsby introduces the second volume of his major biography of Arthur Miller, covering the years 1962-2005.

In Conversation with... Catherine Tate
Thu 17 Feb
3pm (1hr), Lyttelton, £5/£4
Members of the Season's Greetings company talk about their careers and current role, and answer your questions. Chaired by Al Senter.

Angelheaded Hipsters: Discovering the Beat Movement
19 Feb, 10.30am (1hr 30mins), Lyttelton, £5/£4
A chance to learn more about the work of the Beat writers of the 50s and 60s through the photographs in the current NT exhibition. Guests include the poet Michael Horovitz, and co-founder of the underground newspaper, International Times, and biographer of Allen Ginsberg, Barry Miles; chaired by Peter Shaw.

John Shepherd: Earth System Modelling
23 Feb, Lyttelton
Professor John Shepherd talks with playwright
Jack Thorne about Earth System Modelling and the natural variability of the climate system on long time-scales.

Frankenstein On Film
24 Feb, Olivier
When Hollywood got hold of the story of Frankenstein's monster, the original 'beautiful' creature with hair 'of lustrous black, and flowing', gave way to a very different iconic movie creation and spawned endless sequels and remakes. Film historian Kim Newman looks at the many cinematic versions of the tale.

In Conversation with... David Troughton
Fri 25 Feb
3pm (1hr), Lyttelton, £5/£4
Members of the Season's Greetings company talk about their careers and current role, and answer your questions. Chaired by Al Senter.

Laughter in our Lounges
26 Feb, 10.30am (1hr 30mins), Lyttelton, £5/£4
From Terry and June to Two Pints..., a celebration of the last 30 years of domestic comedy on stage and screen.

Frankenstein On Science
4 March, Olivier
Mary Shelley's remarkable exploration of man's desire to bring life to an inanimate object was a truly fantastic vision, but how possible is the notion both in the 19th century and today? Particle physicist Dr. Brian Cox talks to Romantic biographer Richard Holmes

Tim Flannery: Here on Earth - A New Beginning
10 Mar, Lyttelton
The Australian mammalogist, palaeontologist and advisor on climate change to the South Australian Premier discusses his twin biography of life and the planet which presents a profound, new future for life on Earth - where man and planet together can actually increase Earth's energy budget and thereby the sustainability of all life living on its surface.

Danny Boyle and Nick Dear on Frankenstein
14 March, Olivier
The director and adaptor talk about their new production of the classic novel.

Frankenstein's Creator: Mary Shelley
15 March, Olivier
A glimpse into the life of Mary Shelley with Claire Tomalin, biographer of her mother Mary Wollstonecraft, and Daisy Hay, author of Young Romantics, celebrating the idealistic circle who were there when Shelley first told the tale of a monster.

Ryan Craig and Laurie Sansom on The Holy Rosenbergs
18 Mar, Cottesloe
Writer Ryan Craig and director Laurie Sansom discuss this new play.

Edward Petherbridge
23 Mar, Cottesloe
Petherbridge was Stoppard's original Guildenstern, and a definitive Lord Peter Wimsey. Slim Chances is part-memoir, part-masterclass, telling of his early career, his work with Olivier, and the NT Company he founded with Ian McKellen.

Nigel Lawson: An Appeal to Reason: A Cool Look at Global Warming
Mon 4 Apr, 7pm (90 mins), £7.50, Lyttelton
Lord Lawson, former Chancellor of the Exchequer and Chairman of the Global Warming Policy Foundation, speaks about his views, analysis and distinctive perspective on the issues at the heart of the global warming debate.

David King & Gabrielle Walker: How to Tackle Global Warming and Still Keep the Lights On
Mon 11 Apr, 7pm (90 mins), £7.50, Lyttelton
Sir David King was the Chief Scientific Adviser to H.M. Government under both Blair and Brown and openly criticised the Bush administration's inaction on global warming: "climate change is the most severe problem we are facing today - more serious even than the threat of terrorism". He co-wrote The Hot Topic with the presenter of BBC Radio 4's Planet Under Threat - Dr Gabrielle Walker - and here they talk about their views on the subject.

Josephine Hart presents Romantic Poetry
15 April, Olivier
Josephine Hart's star-studded readings bring the poetry alive with her astute observations and illuminating asides. Celebrating the great romantic-gothic world of Frankenstein, she presents the work of Shelley, Byron and their Romantic contemporaries.