National Theatre to reopen with socially distanced performances

The world-class theatre will reopen with Death of England: Delroy, a sequel to one of its past productions

London's prestigious National Theatre announced that it will reopen its doors for the first time since March to audiences with a new play, which will open in its largest auditorium, the Olivier Theatre, in October. In line with Stage Four of theatre reopening, which comes into effect on 15 August, audiences will be required to socially distance. 

The new play, Death of England: Delroy was written by Clint Dyer and Roy Williams as a sequel to their critically-acclaimed Death of England, which opened in NT's Dorfman Theatre in February, before the theatre announced its shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The play is a monologue which will be directed by Dyer and will see Dyer and Williams become the first Black British dramatists to have a full-scale production in the Olivier Theatre. Commissioned by the NT's New Work Department, Dyer and Williams have written their new play around the main character who asks himself: "How British am I as a Black man?". 

The monologue will star Olivier Award winner Giles Terera, best known for his role as Aaron Burr in the original West End production of Hamilton. 

Rufus Norris, director of the National Theatre said: "The moment the incomparable Giles Terera steps out on the Olivier stage at that first performance will be an incredible one, and I'm thrilled to be reopening our theatre with such an important and timely piece of work."

^{_{Photo credit: Clint Dyer (Photo by Helen Murray)}}