NT confirm new shows and Schedule. July 2008

NT confirm new shows and Schedule.

The National Theatre has announced new productions, extensions, returning shows and new platforms for its Aug - Nov 2008 Season

Public booking opens 23 July 2008

New Productions...

LANDSCAPE / A SLIGHT ACHE (Double Bill)
by Harold Pinter
in the Lyttelton Theatre
(13, 15, 24, 29, 30 Sep, 1 Oct at 8pm; and 13, 24 Sep at 3pm)
Starring Simon Russell Beale, Clare Higgins
LANDSCAPE: A middle-aged couple describe the vital scenery of their lives in a series of monologues. A SLIGHT ACHE: Takes an oblique view of a long-married couple, the irascible Edward and his frustrated wife Flora, when the arrival of a statuesque silent stranger splinters their loveless bourgeois marriage.

Returning Productions...

WAVES
Suggested by Virginia Woolf's novel, The Waves, devised by Katie Mitchell and the Company
at the Cottesloe
(from 20 Aug 2008 to 9 Sep 2008)
Directed by Katie Mitchell
A multi-media production. A fragmented and dreamlike tale of friendship, loss, identity and love.
(The show originally ran at the Cottesloe 8 Nov 2006 to 8 Feb 2007)

THE PITMEN PAINTERS
by Lee Hall, inspired by a book by William Feaver
at the Lyttelton
(from 27 Jan 2009, booking to 17 Feb 2009)
Directed by Max Roberts.
A co-production between Live Theatre, Newcastle and the National Theatre
In 1934, a group of Ashington miners hired a professor to teach an art appreciation evening class. Rapidly abandoning theory in favour of practice, the pitmen began to paint. Within a few years the most avant-garde artists became their friends and their work was acquired by prestigious collections; but every day they worked, as before, down the mine.
(The show originally ran at the Cottesloe 19 May to 25 June 2008)

Shows extended...

THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING
by Joan Didion based on her memoir
at the Lyttelton
Now booking 27 Aug Oct 2008

THE REVENGER'S TRAGEDY
by Thomas Middleton
at the Olivier
Now closes 28 Aug 2008

AFTERLIFE
by Rebecca Lenkiewicz
at the Lyttelton
Now closes 30 Aug 2008

HER NAKED SKIN
by Rebecca Lenkiewicz
at the Olivier
Now closes 24 Sep 2008

...SOME TRACE OF HER
inspired by The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky and adapted by Katie Mitchell and the company
at the Cottesloe
Now closes 21 Oct 2008

WAR HORSE
based on a novel by Michael Morpurgo, adapted by Nick Stafford
at the Olivier
Now booking to 1 Jan 2009
 

New Platforms announced....
(6pm (45 mins) £3·50 unless stated

De Produndis (Reading)
by Oscar Wilde
edited by Merlin Holland
22 & 23 Sep at 8pm; 29 & 30 Sep & 1 Oct at 6pm (Lyttelton)
Tickets £10 & £20. Running time approx. 50mins.
During his sentence in Reading Gaol, Oscar Wilde wrote a letter to his lover, agonising over the lack of contact. It is perhaps the greatest love letter ever written, filled with a torrent of accusation, passion and eventually reconciliation. A century later De Profundis remains an astonishing tour-de-force of self analysis. Reviving his National Theatre performance from 2000, Corin Redgrave reads De Profundis. The director is Richard Nelson.

IN CONVERSATION WITH...
3pm (1 hour), Cottesloe Theatre, £5/£4
A series of informal afternoon Platforms with company members talking about their careers, their current role and answering questions from the audience, chaired by Al Senter.
Lesley Sharp, 7 August
Lesley Manville 1 Sep
Ralph Fiennes 24 Oct
Prior to 'In Conversation', the National Theatre Archive will present a free screening of one of the guests' previous performances, accompanied by an illustrated talk with photos, programmes and other archive material (numbers limited to 25)

Katie Mitchell on ...some trace of her
12 Aug - Cottesloe
The director talks about her production based on The Idiot, Dostoevsky's depiction of the "positively good man".

Shirley Williams and June Purvis - The Suffragettes' Legacy
22 Aug - Olivier
One of the most senior women to have served in the Palace of Westminster and the Pankhursts' biographer, join Genista McIntosh to discuss the suffragettes.

Rebecca Lenkiewicz on Her Naked Skin
1 Sep - Olivier

Richard Attenborough
18 Sep - Olivier
Together with his co-author, Diana Hawkins, he reflects on Entirely Up To You, Darling, their account of his extraordinarily diverse career.

Elaine Paige
23 Sep - Olivier
The iconic star of Evita, Cats and Sunset Boulevard celebrates 40 years on the stage.

Doris Lessing
24 Sep - Lyttelton
In her new book, Alfred and Emily, the Nobel Laureate explores the lives of her parents, both irrevocably damaged by the Great War.

Enda Walsh and Mikel Murfi on The Walworth Farce
26 Sep - Cottesloe
the playwright and director reflect on the play's journey from Galway to Edinburgh and Broadway.

No Strings Attached
26 Sep - Olivier
A practical demonstration by leading contemporary puppeteers celebrates the increasingly popular trend of using puppets alongside performers in the theatre.

Juliette Binoche and Akram Khan on in-i
6 Oct - Lyttelton
Dancer and choreographer Akram Khan and actress Juliette Binoche discuss their new collaboration.

Denis Norden
8 Oct - Cottesloe
The distinguished comedy writer and presenter is joined by Barry Cryer to look back on his career in Clips from a Life.

Katie Mitchell
9 Oct - Cottesloe
One of the most adventurous directors working today talks about her new book, The Director's Craft.

Stella Duffy
10 Oct - Cottesloe
Writer and actor Stella Duffy talks about her new novel The Room of Lost Things.

Sheila Hancock
15 Oct - Cottesloe
Just Me is the moving and honest account of Sheila Hancock's life since the death of her husband, John Thaw.

Peter Gill
17 Oct - Cottesloe
Apprenticeship is Peter Gill's potent recollection of the changing theatrical landscape of the 60s and his journey from being a young actor to becoming a director and playwright.

The Horse Whisperers
22 Oct - Olivier
A unique chance to see the celebrated 'Man Who Listens to Horses', Monty Roberts, and the horse psychologist, Kelly Marks.

On To Be Straight With You
5 Nov - Lyttelton
Guests including Douglas Murray (Centre for Social Cohesion) and Andrea Minichiello Williams (Christian Legal Centre), discuss the challenging themes of this work.

Jonathan Kent on Oedipus
6 Nov - Olivier
The director reflects on his production of Sophocles' tragedy.

Russell T Davies
7 Nov - Lyttelton
The man who rejuvenated one of the BBC's most iconic programmes talks to Benjamin Cook about Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale.

Michael Morpurgo's Private Peaceful
10 Nov - Lyttleton
Powerful, lyrical songs and evocative readings tell the story of two brothers-in-arms in the First World War battlefields of Ypres.