Photo credit: National Theatre (Photo by mondo on Flickr)

National Theatre sets dates and announces new shows for 2022

There's Shakespeare adaptations, world premieres and revivals.

Sophie Thomas
Sophie Thomas

The National Theatre has announced new productions in their current season, with performances to June 2022. New shows include David Eldridge's Middle and dates for The Corn is Green and The Father and the Assassin.

Productions at the London venue this year include Hex in the Olivier Theatre, Manor in the Lyttelton Theatre and Trouble in Mind in the Dorfman Theatre.

The National Theatre has also added Kae Tempest's Paradise, Winsome Pinnock's Rockets and Blue Lights and James Graham's This House to their own streaming service. Find out more about the National Theatre streaming service here. There will also be a school touring production of Jekyll & Hyde, adapted by Evan Placey and directed by Kirsty Housley.

A full list of shows announced by the National Theatre today are as follows, broken down by venue.

Olivier Theatre

Anupama Chandrasekhar's The Father and the Assassin will run in the Olivier Theatre from 12 May to 18 June, with a press night on 19 May. Indhu Rubasingham directs the new play, which follows Nathuram Godse as a devout follower of Mahatma Gandhi through to his radicalisation. 

Shubham Saraf will play Nathuram Godse alongside Sagar Arya, Ayesha Dharker and Peter Singh. Set and costume design is by Rajha Shakiry, with lighting design is by Oliver Fenwick and sound design by Alex Caplen. 

Lyttelton Theatre

The Corn is Green will run in the Lyttelton Theatre from 7 April to 11 June, with an opening night on 14 April. Nicola Walker leads the cast in Emlyn Williams' play, which follows a teacher in rural North Wales who helps miners out of poverty. 

Dominic Cooke directs a cast including Adam Baker, Saffron Coomber, Gareth David-Lloyd, Iwan Davies, Ben Alyn Francis, Megan Grech, Jonathan Hawkins, Matthew Hargreaves, Steffan Hughes, Gareth Kennerley, Richard Lynch, Jo McInnes, Alice Orr-Ewing, Steffan Rizzi, Rebecca Todd, Garyn Williams, Peter Willcock and Rufus Wright. Set and costume Design is by ULTZ, with lighting design by Charles Balfour and sound design by Christopher Shutt.

Dorfman Theatre

Alecky Blythe's Our Generation will explore journeys into adulthood, and is created from five years of interviews with 12 young people. Daniel Evans will make his National Theatre directorial debut with Our Generation, in a play starring Dee Ahluwalia, Joe Bolland, Anna Burnett, Anushka Chakravarti, Debbie Chazen, Gavi Singh Chera, Rachelle Diedericks, Hasan Dixon, Hélder Fernandes, Sarita Gabony, Conor Gormally, Alex Jarrett, Callum Mardy, Poppy Shepherd and Stephanie Street.

The Our Generation creative team includes set design by Vicki Mortimer, costume design by Kinnetia Isidore, video design by Akhila Krishnan, lighting design by Zoe Spurr and sound design by Paul Arditti. Our Generation is from 10 February to 9 April, with an opening night on 17 February.

Jude Christian adapts Hamlet for a younger audience, playing in the Dorfman Theatre from 24 March to 6 April. Tinuke Craig directs Hamlet, which will then tour in schools after its National Theatre run. The production is designed by Frankie Bradshaw. 

Following Beginning at the Dorfman Theatre and a West End transfer at the Ambassadors Theatre in 2017, writer David Eldridge and director Polly Findlay will reunite for Middle next year. Claire Rushbrook and Daniel Ryan will play Gary and Maggie in Middle, the second in a trilogy of David Eldridge's plays exploring love and relationships. Set and costume design are by Fly Davis, and sound design is by Donato Wharton. Middle is at the Dorfman Theatre from 27 April to 18 June, with an official opening on 4 May.

Photo credit: National Theatre (Photo by mondo on Flickr)

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