National Theatre announces New Season 2016-18

The National Theatre under the Artistic Directorship of Rufus Norris today held their annual press conference to announce a host of productions for the rest of 2016 and beyond.

The season includes contemporary revivals of 20th century NT premieres, musical theatre, new writing and a number of high profile Shakespeare productions with casts including Ralph Fiennes and Tamsin Grieg.

It was also announced that Sir Lenny Henry will join the board of the National Theatre, continuing his campaigning for greater representation of Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people in the entertainment industry.

Rufus Norris outlined planned to scrap the Sunday openings for performances in an effort for the venue to cut costs. The future of the Temporary Theatre is also unknown, with the final full production scheduled in the venue this April.

Full details of upcoming productions, including dates will be announced at a later time. Initial details of each production across the venues are below:

Public Booking for the first half of the season opens on 4 March 2016.

In the OLIVIER THEATRE

Young Chekhov - From July 2016
Jonathan Kent's Chichester Festival Theatre trilogy, of Platonov, Ivanov and The Seagull, in new versions by David Hare will run throughout this summer. The casts will include Anna Chancellor as Arkadina in 'The Seagull' and James McArdle in the title role of 'Platonov' and as Lvov in 'Ivanov'. They will be joined by Geoffrey Streatfeild (Ivanov and Trigorin in 'The Seagull') and ensemble company members Emma Amos, Pip Carter, Jonathan Coy, Nicholas Day, Peter Egan, Joshua James, Beverley Klein, Adrian Lukis, Des McAleer, Nina Sosanya and Olivia Vinall.

Amadeus - From October 2016
Michael Longhurst will direct this new production of Peter Shaffer's classic play, which had its world premiere at the NT in 1979. Lucian Msamati will play the lead role of 'Salieri'.

Peter Pan - From November 2016
Sally Cookson will return to the National following her production of 'Jane Eyre' with a devised adaptation of JM Barrie's classic play which originally played in the Bristol Old Vic in 2012. Using elements of Barrie's original intent, the role of Captain Hook will be played by a woman, doubling the role with Mrs Darling.

Twelfth Night - From February 2017
Director Simon Godwin will deliver the first of two Shakespeare productions in the Olivier, beginning with this classic comedy which will star Tamsin Greig in a gender revered 'Malvolia'.

Antony and Cleopatra - Early 2018
Godwin's second Shakespeare production will star Ralph Fiennes as Antony in the classic drama.

Siân Phillips and Danny Sapani will lead the cast of Yaël Farber's production of Les Blancs by Lorraine Hansberry which opens in the Olivier Theatre on 30 March as already announced. The company also includes Sheila Atim, Gary Beadle, Sidney Cole, Elliot Cowan, James Fleet, Clive Francis, Tunji Kasim, Anna Madeley, Anna Maria Nabirye, Roger Jean Nsengiyumva and Mark Theodore.

The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill in a new translation by Simon Stephens, will be directed by Rufus Norris in the Olivier Theatre from May, and will star Rory Kinnear as 'Macheath' alongside Jamie Beddard, Rosalie Craig and Nick Holder.

The Red Barn - November 2016
Almeida Associate Director Robert Icke will direct a new play by David Hare, based on Georges Simenon's novel 'La Main'. Produced in association with Scott Rudin, it will mark Icke's NT debut, and Hare's 17th new play at the venue.

Hedda Gabler - December 2016
Henrik Ibsen's classic play will be reinvented by acclaimed director Ivo van Hove who will make his National Theatre debut. The production previously ran at New York Theatre Workshop and Toneelgroep Amsterdam, and will use British actors.

Angels in America - May 2017
Tony Kushner's legendary two-part play will be revived by Marianne Elliott, in a production that will star Andrew Garfield as Prior Walter. The first part, 'Millennium Approaches', received its British premiere in the Cottesloe in 1992, joined by Perestroika in a double bill the following year.

Helen McCrory has now been officially announced to play Hester in Carrie Cracknell's production of The Deep Blue Sea by Terence Rattigan opening in the Lyttelton Theatre on 8 June 2016.

Howard Davies will direct Sean O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars, also in the Lyttelton, opening on 27 July, with an ensemble cast including Stephen Kennedy, Justine Mitchell and Tom Vaughan-Lawlor.

Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour - August 2016
Vicky Featherstone will direct the stage adaptation of Alan Warner's cult Scottish novel 'The Sopranos', in a co-production with the National Theatre of Scotland and Live Theatre.

A Pacifist's Guide to the War on Cancer - October 2016
A new musical production featuring book by Bryony Kimmings and Brian Lobel, music by Tom Parkinson and lyrics by Bryony Kimmings will be a co-production with A Complicite Associates in association with HOME Manchester.

Love - December 2016
Alexander Zeldin will direct his own new play in a co-production with Birmingham Rep where it will transfer in January 2017.

Mosquitoes - Jan 2017
Rufus Norris will direct a new play by Lucy Kirkwood which will be presented by special arrangement with Manhattan Theatre Club.

Consent - April 2017
Nina Raine's new play will be presented in a co-production with Out of Joint.

Casting for The Flick will include Jaygann Ayeh, Louisa Krause and Matthew Maher.

Sam Crane, Elizabeth McGovern, Ben Miles and Pippa Nixon will lead the cast of Alexi Kaye Campbell's new play Sunset at the Villa Thalia which opens in the Dorfman on 1 June 2016.

Another World: Losing Our Children to Islamic State - April 2016
Gillian Slovo's piece of verbatim documentary theatre which has been developed with Nicolas Kent and directed by Nicolas Kent, will be the final full production in the temporary theatre.