National Theatre

New season announced at the National Theatre for 2018/19

Will Longman
Will Longman

A new season has been announced at the National Theatre, including the return of director Peter Brook to the theatre after half a century, and a new play by David Hare.

Brook will direct The Prisoner, which he has written and will co-direct with his long-time collaborator Marie-Hélène Estienne form September. Running in the Dorfman, the play asks questions of the justice system, and features a cast including Hiran Abeysekera, Hervé Goffings, Omar Silva, Kalieaswari Srinivasan and Donald Sumpter. It runs from 12th September.

A new play by David Hare titled I'm Not Running will run in the Lyttelton from October. The play follows Pauline Gibson, a doctor and local health campaigner who is faced with meeting her ex-boyfriend, a Labour Party loyalist. Directed by Neil Armfield, the cast includes Siân Brooke, Alex Hassell, Joshua McGuire, Amaka Okafor, Liza Sadovy and Brigid Zengeni.

Following the success of her play Consent, which recently opened in the West End, Nina Raine's new piece Stories will run in the Dorfman from October. It tells the story of Anna, a 39-year-old singleton looking to have a baby. Directed by Raine, it will star Claudie Blakley from 10th October, with further casting to be announced.

The Dorfman will also host a new play by Anthony Neilson titled The Tell-Tale Heart, based on the short story by Edgar Allan Poe. It is about a young playwright in Brighton who forms a relationship with her landlady who has a life-altering condition. With a cast including David Carlyle, Imogen Doel and Tamara Lawrance directed by Neilson, it runs from 5th December.

Further casting has also been announced for Antony and Cleopatra starring Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okonedo, and the return of Follies to the Olivier next year.

Alexander Hanson and Joanna Riding will join the cast of Follies in the Olivier from February next year. They join Peter Forbes and Janie Dee who will reprise their roles from the production last autumn.

Directed by Simon Godwin, the cast for Antony and Cleopatra will include Fisayo Akinade, Alexander Cobb, Tunji Kasim, Georgia Landers, Nicholas Le Prevost, Tim McMullan, Hannah Morrish, Shazia Nicholls, Gloria Obianyo, Nick Sampson, Katy Stephens and Sargon Yelda. It also runs in the Olivier from 18th September.

It has also been announced that Natasha Gordon's play Nine Night, which premiered in the Dorfman last year, will be transferring to the West End. Click here to find out more

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