NATIONAL THEATRE: NEW PRODUCTIONS, FEBRUARY - AUGUST 2016

YOUNG CHEKHOV - Platonov, Ivanov and The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, in new versions by David Hare and directed by Jonathan Kent transfers from Chichester Festival Theatre

Helen McCrory plays Hester Collyer in THE DEEP BLUE SEA by Terence Rattigan directed by Carrie Cracknell

Sean O’Casey’s THE PLOUGH AND THE STARS is directed by Howard Davies

A new play by Alexi Kaye Campbell, SUNSET AT THE VILLA THALIA, is directed by Simon Godwin

In the Travelex £15 Tickets season:Rory Kinnear in Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill’s THE THREEPENNY OPERA in a new translation by Simon Stephens directed by Rufus Norris In the Temporary Theatre:ANOTHER WORLD: LOSING OUR CHILDREN TO ISLAMIC STATE, written by Gillian Slovo, is directed by Nicolas Kent

NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE broadcasts As You Like It from the NT and the Royal Court Theatre production of Hangmen

Platforms, Lyttelton Lounge, and Clore Learning Centre events, courses and talks

THE THREEPENNY OPERA Travelex £15 Tickets, Olivier Theatre Previews from 18 May, press night 26 May, booking until 31 August with further performances to be announced.

THE THREEPENNY OPERA by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill in a new adaptation by Simon

Stephens will be directed by Rufus Norris, opening in the Olivier Theatre on 26 May as part

of the £15 Travelex season. The cast includes Jamie Beddard, Rosalie Craig, Nick Holder

and Rory Kinnear. The production will be designed by Vicki Mortimer, with musical direction

by David Shrubsole, choreography by Imogen Knight, lighting by Paule Constable, sound by

Paul Arditti and fight direction by Rachel Bown Williams and Ruth Cooper of RC-ANNIE Ltd.

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London scrubs up for the coronation. The thieves are on the make, the whores on the pull,

the police cutting deals to keep it all out of sight. Mr and Mrs Peachum are looking forward to

a bumper day in the beggary business but their daughter didn’t come home last night.

Mack the Knife is back in town.

A landmark 20th century musical theatre THE THREEPENNY OPERA comes to the NT in a

bold new production which will contain filthy language and immoral behaviour.

Rufus Norris became Director of the National Theatre in 2015; his NT productions are

wonder.land, Everyman, Behind the Beautiful Forevers, The Amen Corner, Table, London

Road, Death and the King's Horseman and Market Boy. His other work includes;

Feast, Vernon God Little and Tintin for the Young Vic; the Olivier Award-winning Cabaret in

the West End and on tour; Les Liaisons Dangereuses on Broadway; Festen at the Almeida,

West End and New York; and Doctor Dee at the Manchester Festival in 2011 and ENO in

2012. Screen work includes Broken, which won the British Independent Film Award for Best

Film, and the film of London Road.

Simon Stephens’ plays include Birdland, Wastwater, Motortown, Country Music, Herons, and

Bluebird (Royal Court); Blindsided (Manchester Royal Exchange); Seawall (National

Theatre/Paines Plough); Three Kingdoms (Lyric/NO99 Theatre, Estonia/Munich Playhouse,

Germany); A Thousand Stars Explode in the Sky (Lyric Hammersmith); Marine Parade (with

Mark Eitzel, Brighton Festival); The Trial of Ubu (Hampstead/ Toneelgroep, Amsterdam); T5

and Heaven (Traverse); Punk Rock (Lyric / Manchester Royal Exchange); Sea Wall (Bush/

Traverse); Harper Regan (National); Pornography (Tricycle/Traverse/Deutsches

Schauspielhaus, Hanover); On the Shore of the Wide World (National/Manchester Royal

Exchange – Olivier Award for Best New Play); Port (National Theatre/Manchester Royal

Exchange) and Carmen Disruption (Deutsche Schauspielhaus, Hamburg). Adaptations

include A Doll’s House and I Am the Wind (Young Vic).

Rory Kinnear’s appearances at the NT include Iago in Othello (for which he won an Olivier

Award ), The Last of the Haussmans, the title role in Hamlet (Olivier Award nomination), Burnt

by the Sun (Olivier Award nomination), The Revenger’s Tragedy, Philistines, The Man of Mode

(Olivier Award and Winner of the 2007 Ian Charleson Award) and Southwark Fair. He won the

Evening Standard Best Actor Award (alongside Adrian Lester) for Othello and Hamlet at the NT

and Measure for Measure at the Almeida. His film appearances include the three most recent

Bond films, The Imitation Game and Broken (BIFA Award, Best Supporting Actor).

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Press night: Thursday 26 May

Contact: Martin Shippen on 020 7452 3233 / mshippen@nationaltheatre.org.uk

The Chichester Festival Theatre productionsYOUNG CHEKHOV Olivier TheatrePreviews from 14 July, press day 3 August, booking until 3 September with further performances to be announced.

The YOUNG CHEKHOV trilogy opened to overwhelming acclaim at Chichester Festival

Theatre last year. The company now come to the National, offering a unique chance to

explore the birth of a revolutionary dramatic voice. The production is directed by Jonathan

Kent, with set designs by Tom Pye, costumes by Emma Ryott, lighting by Mark Henderson,

music by Jonathan Dove, sound by Paul Groothuis and fight direction by Paul Benzing.

Performed by one ensemble of actors, each play can be seen as a single performance over

different days or as a thrilling all-day theatrical experience. Cast includes Emma Amos, Pip

Carter, Anna Chancellor, Jonathan Coy, Mark Donald, Peter Egan, Col Farrell, Beverley

Klein, Adrian Lukis, Des McAleer, James McArdle, Mark Penfold, Nina Sosanya, Geoffrey

Streatfeild, Sarah Twomey, David Verrey, Olivia Vinall and Jade Williams.

David Hare has written over thirty original plays, including The Power of Yes, Gethsemane,

Stuff Happens, The Permanent Way (a co-production with Out of Joint), Amy’s View,

Skylight, The Secret Rapture, The Absence of War, Murmuring Judges, Racing Demon,

Pravda (written with Howard Brenton) and Plenty for the National Theatre. His other work

includes South Downs (Chichester Festival Theatre and West End), The Judas Kiss

(Hampstead and West End) and The Moderate Soprano (Hampstead). His adaptations

include Behind the Beautiful Forevers and The House of Bernarda Alba at the NT, The Blue

Room (Donmar and Broadway) and The Master Builder (The Old Vic).

Jonathan Kent’s productions for the NT include Emperor and Galilean, Oedipus and The

False Servant. Previous productions at Chichester Festival Theatre include Gypsy (also

West End) A Month in the Country, Sweeney Todd and Private Lives (also West End). As

joint artistic director, with Ian McDiarmid, of the Almeida Theatre for over ten years, his

productions included Ivanov, The Tempest, Medea (also West End and Broadway), Richard

II and Coriolanus (Almeida at Gainsborough Studios), Phèdre, Britannicus and Plenty

(Almeida at the Albery Theatre) and Lulu, Platonov and King Lear (Almeida at King’s Cross).

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In 2008 he directed Marguerite, The Sea and The Country Wife at the Theatre Royal,

Haymarket.

PlatonovSchoolteacher Mikhail Platonov has a problem – he’s irresistible to women. Set in the

blazing heat of a rural summer, this freewheeling comedy is a cry of youthful defiance

against the compromises of middle age. Previews from 14 July, press day 30 July.

IvanovNikolai Ivanov is only 35, a radical and a romantic, but already he’s feeling that he’s thrown

his life away. Determined not to become a small-town Hamlet, he hopes one last desperate

romance may save him from a society rotten with anti-Semitism and drink. This electric play

is powered both by hilarious satire and passionate self-disgust. Previews from 19 July, press

day 30 July.

The SeagullOn a summer’s day in a makeshift theatre by a lake, Konstantin’s cutting-edge new play is

performed, changing the lives of everyone involved forever. Chekhov’s masterly meditation

on how the old take revenge on the young is both comic and tragic, and marks the birth of

the modern stage. Previews from 23 July, press day 3 August.

Contact: Mary Parker on 020 7452 3234 / mparker@nationaltheatre.org.uk

THE DEEP BLUE SEA Lyttelton TheatrePreviews from 1 June, press night 8 June, booking until 17 August with further performances to be announced.

Carrie Cracknell directs Terence Rattigan’s THE DEEP BLUE SEA, opening on 8 June in the

Lyttelton Theatre. Helen McCrory plays Hester Collyer. The production will have set

designs by Tom Scutt, lighting by Guy Hoare, music by Stuart Earl, sound by Peter Rice and

movement direction by Polly Bennett.

Helen McCrory and Carrie Cracknell reunite following the acclaimed Medea in 2014.

A flat in Ladbroke Grove, West London. 1952. When Hester Collyer is found by her

neighbours in the aftermath of a failed suicide attempt, the story of her tempestuous affair

with a former RAF pilot and the breakdown of her marriage to a High Court Judge begins to

emerge. With it comes a portrait of need, loneliness and long-repressed passion. Behind the

fragile veneer of post-war civility burns a brutal sense of loss and longing.

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Terence Rattigan was one of the most influential playwrights of the mid-20th century. His

plays included The Winslow Boy, The Browning Version, Separate Tables, Flare Path and

After the Dance which was produced at the NT in 2011 (Olivier award for best revival). He is

still the only playwright who has had two straight plays run for over a thousand performances

in London’s West End simultaneously.

Helen McCrory’s theatre work includes Medea, The Last of the Haussmans, Blood Wedding

and The Seagull for the NT; The Late Middle Classes, Old Times, Twelfth Night and Uncle

Vanya (Donmar Warehouse) and As You Like It (West End). Her extensive film and

television work includes Skyfall, Hugo, Leaving, A Little Chaos, Peaky Blinders, Penny

Dreadful, The Queen, Harry Potter, Street Life (RTS and Monte Carlo Best Actress Awards),

Anna Karenina, The Jury and North Square (Critics’ Circle Award).

Carrie Cracknell’s recent work includes Medea and Blurred Lines (NT), Macbeth and A Doll’s

House (Young Vic, West End and New York) and Wozzeck (ENO). She is Associate Director

at the Royal Court Theatre and an Associate Artist at the Young Vic, and was previously

Artistic Director of The Gate Theatre.

Press night: Wednesday 8 June

Contact: Mary Parker on 020 7452 3234 / mparker@nationaltheatre.org.uk

THE PLOUGH AND THE STARS Lyttelton Theatre Previews from 20 July, press night 27 July, booking until 27 August with additional performances to be announced

THE PLOUGH AND THE STARS by Sean O’Casey will open at the Lyttelton Theatre on 27

July as part of the Travelex £15 tickets season. Directed by Howard Davies and designed

by Vicki Mortimer, with lighting by James Farncombe, music by Stephen Warbeck and sound

design by Paul Groothuis, the cast includes Stephen Kennedy, Justine Mitchell and Tom

Vaughan-Lawlor.

From November 1915 to Easter 1916, as the rebellion builds to a climax half a mile away,

the disparate residents of a Dublin tenement go about their lives, peripheral to Ireland’s

history.

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Sean O’Casey places a fixed lens to watch, mercilessly objective, as a dozen vivid

characters come and go – selfless, hilarious and desperate by turns - while the heroic myth

of Ireland is fought over elsewhere.

To mark the centenary of the Easter Rising, Howard Davies, who memorably brought

O’Casey’s The Silver Tassie to the NT stage in 2014, now tackles his greatest play. Davies’

previous work at the NT includes Children of the Sun, The Last of the Haussmans, The

Cherry Orchard, Blood and Gifts, The White Guard (Evening Standard Award for Best

Director), Burnt by the Sun, Gethsemane, Her Naked Skin, Never So Good, Philistines, The

Life of Galileo and Mourning Becomes Electra.

Press night: Wednesday 27 July

Contact: Martin Shippen on 020 7452 3233 / mshippen@nationaltheatre.org.uk

SUNSET AT THE VILLA THALIA Dorfman Theatre Previews from 25 May, press night 1 June, playing in repertoire until 4 August.

SUNSET AT THE VILLA THALIA, by Alexi Kaye Campbell and directed by Simon Godwin,

opens in the Dorfman Theatre on 1 June. The production is designed by Hildegard Bechtler,

with lighting by Natasha Chivers, music by Michael Bruce, movement direction by Jonathan

Goddard and sound design by Tom Gibbons. The cast includes Christos Callow, Sam

Crane, Glykeria Dimou, Elizabeth McGovern, Ben Miles, Pippa Nixon and Eve Polycarpou.

April 1967: Greece is in political turmoil. Charlotte and Theo have retreated to a small island

in search of peace and inspiration. But when they meet a charismatic American couple at the

port they are seduced into making choices with devastating consequences. This funny and

passionate new play by Alexi Kaye Campbell (Woman in Gold, The Pride, Apologia) spans a

decade as it explores the impact of foreign influence, planned and unintentional, on a nation

and its people.

Sam Crane’s previous theatre credits include DNA, The Miracle and The Odyssey (National

Theatre), Farinelli and the King (Shakespeare’s Globe/ West End) and Headlong’s1984

(Playhouse Theatre/ West End).

Elizabeth McGovern was nominated for an Emmy award and Golden Globe award for her

role as Cora Crawley in Downton Abbey. Her film credits include Ordinary People and

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Ragtime, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Her most recent theatre credits in the UK include The Shawl (Arcola), Complicit (The Old

Vic) and Aristo (Chichester Festival Theatre).

Ben Miles was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance of Thomas Cromwell in Wolf

Hall and Bring Up the Bodies (RSC/ West End/ Broadway). Other recent theatre credits

include Love Love Love (Royal Court), Measure for Measure (Almeida Theatre) and The

Norman Conquests (The Old Vic/ Broadway). His television and theatre credits include The

Woman in Gold, The Crown (Netflix) and The Hollow Crown (BBC).

Pippa Nixon has worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company (most recent

credits include The Tempest, As You Like It, Hamlet and King John) and Shakespeare’s

Globe (most recently A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Timon of Athens and The Merchant of

Venice, for which she was nominated for an Ian Charleson Award). Her television credits

include Cuffs (BBC) and Unforgotten (ITV).

The Dorfman Partner is Neptune Investment Management.

Press night: Thursday 26 May

Contact: Emma Hardy on 020 7452 3231 / ehardy@nationaltheatre.org.uk

THE FLICK Dorfman TheatrePreviews from 13 April, press night 19 April, final performance 15 June.

Annie Baker’s play THE FLICK arrives at the National Theatre direct from New York, where

it won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama as well as the Susan Smith Blackburn Award and the

Obie Award for Playwriting. The production is directed by Sam Gold, with design by David

Zinn, lighting by Jane Cox and sound by Brady Poor, with associate lighting by Isabella Byrd,

THE FLICK is produced in association with Scott Rudin and is currently playing at the

Barrow Street Theatre, New York, having originally been produced by Playwrights Horizons.

In a run-down movie theatre in central Massachusetts, three underpaid employees mop the

floors and attend to one of the last 35-millimetre film projectors in the state. Their tiny battles

and not-so-tiny heartbreaks play out in the empty aisles, becoming more gripping than the

lacklustre, second-run movies on screen.

With keen insight and a finely-tuned comic eye, THE FLICK is a hilarious and heart-rending

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cry for authenticity in a fast-changing world.

The cast includes Matthew Maher and Louisa Krause, who will reprise the roles of Sam and

Rose created for the Barrow Street Theatre, New York City. They will be joined by Jaygann

Ayeh in the role of Avery.

Annie Baker’s other plays include John (currently running at the Signature Theatre, New

York), Circle Mirror Transformation and The Aliens (which jointly won the Obie Award for

Best New American Play), and an adaptation of Uncle Vanya. All were directed by Sam

Gold, who recently won a Tony Award for his direction of the Broadway musical Fun Home;

his other work includes The Real Thing, The Realistic Joneses, The Village Bike and Look

Back in Anger.

The Dorfman Partner is Neptune Investment Management.

Press night: Tuesday 19 April

Contact: Emma Hardy on 020 7452 3231 / ehardy@nationaltheatre.org.uk

ANOTHER WORLD; LOSING OUR CHILDREN TO ISLAMIC STATE Temporary TheatrePreviews from 9 April, press night 15 April, playing until 7 May. ANOTHER WORLD; LOSING OUR CHILDREN TO ISLAMIC STATE, a piece of verbatim

documentary theatre, written by Gillian Slovo and developed with Nicolas Kent from his

original idea, will run in the National’s Temporary Theatre from 9 April. Design is by Lucy

Sierra, lighting design by Matthew Eagland, video design by Duncan McLean and sound

design by Mike Winship. The cast includes Nathalie Armin, Zara Azam, Gunnar Cauthery,

Jack Ellis, Nabil Elouahabi, Ronak Patani, Gary Pillai, Farshid Rokey, Sirine Saba, Lara

Sawalha, Phaldut Sharma and Tim Woodward.

Over the last twelve months, headlines have been dominated by the growth of Islamic State,

and terror attacks claimed by IS have spread across the world. What is the entity that calls

itself Islamic State? Why are some young Muslim men and women from across Western

Europe leaving their homes to answer the call of Jihad? And what should we do about it?

This piece of verbatim documentary theatre, written by novelist Gillian Slovo using material

from the interviews she conducted, and directed by Nicolas Kent, is the result of many

months researching Islamic State, meeting people affected by the organisation and involved

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in the fight against it. Their previous work together includes Guantanamo – Honor Bound to

Defend Freedom and The Riots.

Gillian Slovo is a South African-born writer whose twelve published books include her best-

selling family memoir, Every Secret Thing; Red Dust, which won the Témoin du Monde

Prize in France and was made into a film starring Hilary Swank and Chiwetel Ejiofor; and Ice

Road which was shortlisted for the Orange Prize. She has also written two previous verbatim

plays: Guantanamo – Honor Bound to Defend Freedom and The Riots based on the 2011

English riots. Her thirteenth novel, Ten Days, is to be published by Canongate in early March

and has been chosen as the London book for the City Reads promotion. Gillian also served

three years as the President of English PEN and is a fellow of the Royal Society of

Literature. 

Nicolas Kent was Artistic Director of the Tricycle Theatre in London from 1984-2012, where

the verbatim plays he directed became known as the Tricycle Tribunal plays and included

The Colour of Justice (The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry), Nuremberg, Srebrenica, Bloody

Sunday (Olivier Award for Special Achievement), Guantanamo and The Riots. Most were

broadcast by the BBC, and two were performed in the Houses of Parliament and on Capitol

Hill. He also directed the nine-hour trilogy The Great Game – Afghanistan which was

nominated for an Olivier award and subsequently toured the USA, including two command

performances for the Pentagon in Washington; and a two-part, eight-play series looking at

the history of nuclear deterrence: The Bomb: a partial history. He has directed productions in

over 100 theatres around the world including the West End and New York, as well as for the

National Theatre, the RSC, Royal Court, Donmar Warehouse, Hampstead Theatre, Lyric

Theatre Hammersmith and the Young Vic. His series The Price of Oil was broadcast on BBC

Radio 4 in autumn 2015.

Press night: Friday 15 April

Contact: Martin Shippen on 020 7452 3233 / mshippen@nationaltheatre.org.uk

CASTING UPDATES

The cast for Yaël Farber’s production of LES BLANCS by Lorraine Hansberry, opening in the Olivier on 30 March, includes: Fola Akintola, Sheila Atim, Gary Beadle, Sidney Cole, Elliot Cowan, James Fleet, Clive Francis, Daniel Francis-Swaby, Tunji Kasim, Paul Lavers, Katie Lightfoot, Anna Madeley, Xhanti Mbonzongwana, Anne-Maria Nabirye, Roger Jean Nsengiyumva, Siân Phillips, Tumo Reetsang, Cameron Robertson, Danny Sapani, Mark Theodore and Karren Winchester.

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The full cast for Nadia Fall’s production of THE SUICIDE by Suhayla El-Bushra, after Erdman, opening in the Lyttelton on 13 April, is: Marcus Adolphy, Ayesha Antoine, Pal Aron, Nathan Clarke, Chloe Hesar, Elizabeth Hill, Lisa Jackson, Michael Karim, Paul Kaye, Ashley McGuire, Valentine Olukoga, Roxanne Palmer, Javone Prince, Joseph Prouse, Pooky Quesnel, Adrian Richards, Sule Rimi, Tom Robertson, Rebecca Scroggs and Lizzie Winkler.

ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCES ANNOUNCEDCLEANSED finishes its run on 5 MayLES BLANCS finishes its run on 2 JuneTHE SUICIDE finishes its run on 25 June

PLATFORMSAn eclectic programme of talks, discussions and interviews, offering the chance to learn more about the National’s work and the arts in general.6pm (45 mins), £5/£4 unless stated; BS = Platform followed by book signing

Joan Bakewell Mon 29 February, 6.30pm, £4/£3 Dorfman BSStop the Clocks is the distinguished broadcaster’s thoughtful and spirited new book, a collection of musings on her life and times – from the smaller skills of how to darn and make a bed with hospital corners, to bigger lessons of politics, lovers and betrayal – of the present, and of what she will leave behind. Chaired by David Kynaston.

Katie Mitchell on Cleansed Wed 2 March, 6pm, £4/£3 Dorfman Katie Mitchell talks to Dan Rebellato about her new production of Sarah Kane’s play.

Poems That Make Grown Women Cry  Fri 4 March, 6pm, £4/£3 Olivier BSAs a sequel to their ‘Grown Men’ version of 2014, co-published with Amnesty International, Anthony and Ben Holden introduce a new selection of poems which haunt and move a throng of eminent women, who explain their choices before reading the poems themselves. Hosted by Kate Mosse, with Kate Allen (Director, Amnesty International UK), Imtiaz Dharker, Mariella Frostrup, Jude Kelly, Maureen Lipman, Edna O’Brien, Vanessa Redgrave, Elif Shafak and Juliet Stevenson.

Ben Miller: The Aliens are Coming! Mon 7 March, 6.30pm,£4/£3 Dorfman BSDiscover the fascinating and cutting-edge science behind the greatest question of all: is there life beyond Earth? Ben Miller is, like us all, a mutant ape living through an Ice Age on a ball of molten iron, orbiting a supermassive black hole. The actor, comedian and science writer takes us on a fantastic voyage of discovery, from the beginnings of life on earth to the very latest search for alien intelligence, in his new accessible and entertaining guide, The Aliens are Coming!.

On The Solid Life of Sugar Water Thu 10 March, post-show (30mins), Temporary Theatre, Free

Graeae Associate Director Amit Sharma and playwright Jack Thorne talk about the production. Free but booking is required. Live speech-to-text transcription provided by STAGETEXT.

War Horse: The Final Farewell Sat 12 March, 5.15pm, £4/£3New London TheatreBefore the final performance of War Horse at the New London Theatre, members of the creative team reunite to talk about how they brought a little-known children’s novel of a boy and his horse to the stage, and its ten-year journey to becoming both the National Theatre’s most successful show and an international phenomenon. 

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Author Michael Morpurgo is joined by Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler from Handspring Puppet Company in South Africa, co-directors Tom Morris and Marianne Elliott, designer Rae Smith, composer Adrian Sutton, Song Maker John Tams, and director of movement and horse choreography, Toby Sedgwick. Chaired by former NT Executive Director, Nick Starr.

Waste and Scandal Mon 14 March, 6pm, £4/£3 Lyttelton BSMedical historian Richard Barnett is among the guests exploring medical, political and sexual scandals of the Edwardian era, how differently they affected men and women of all classes, and modern parallels. Chaired by Kate Mosse.

Yaël Farber, Joi Gresham and Drew Lichtenberg on Les BlancsThu 31 March, 6pm, £4/£3 Olivier

Lorraine Hansberry's Literary Executor and Director of her Literary Trust, Joi Gresham, joins director Yaël Farber and dramaturg Drew Lichtenberg to discuss the playwright’s work and legacy, and this new production of her play, Les Blancs.

On Brainstorm Thu 31 March, post-show (30mins), Temporary Theatre, free

Neuroscientist Sarah-Jayne Blakemore joins directors Ned Glasier and Emily Lim to talk about the production and the science behind it. This Platform is free but booking is required.

Suhayla El-Bushra and Nadia Fall on The Suicide Thu 21 April, 6pm, Lyttelton The playwright and the director discuss this new version of Nikolai Erdman’s play.

Another World: Islamic State Discussion Thu 21 April, 28 April, 5 May, post show (1hr) Temporary Theatre £5/£4A panel debates the issues raised by the play.

Lear and Rosalind: The Biographer’s Tale Mon 16 May, 5.30pm, Dorfman BSThe timeless Shakespearean characters of Lear and Rosalind are given a voice through the different and unorthodox approach of their biographers, in two newly published books.  Michael Pennington, who played King Lear in New York and is currently touring the UK, takes us on a journey through the play from the point of view of Lear himself, commenting on its motives and themes in Lear’s own words, in King Lear in Brooklyn. Writer Angela Thirlwell explores the life and the many after-lives of Shakespeare’s progressive heroine, Rosalind, and her perennial influence on drama, fiction and art, drawing on interviews with actors of both sexes who have played the role, in Rosalind: A Biography of Shakespeare’s Immortal Heroine.

Facing The Fear with Bella Merlin Tue 7 June, 5.30pm, Dorfman BSActor and academic Bella Merlin unveils her new book, Facing the Fear: An Actor's Guide to Overcoming Stage Fright, which explores what happens when (among other symptoms) actors forget their lines. Joined by special guests, she explores this misunderstood and often hidden condition, looking at the neuroscience of learning, the psychology of fear, and practical solutions to deal with performance nerves.

A Country of Refuge Fri 10 June, 6pm, Dorfman BS Most of the refugee stories we read about in the media are negative. But the reality is that our fellow humans are fleeing violence, persecution, poverty or intolerance. A selection of readings introduced by Lucy Popescu, the editor of A Country of Refuge – an anthology of new writings on asylum seekers by some of Britain and Ireland’s finest writers –aims to make a positive and vital contribution to the national debate, and pay testament to the strength of the human spirit.

Rufus Norris and Simon Stephens on The Threepenny Opera

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Mon 13 June, 6pm, Olivier BSDirector Rufus Norris is joined by writer Simon Stephens to discuss their new version of Brecht’s play. This Platform is followed by a book signing of Simon Stephens’ new book A Working Diary.

Simon Godwin and Alexi Kaye Campbell on Sunset at the Villa ThaliaFri 17 June, 6pm, Dorfman

The director and playwright talk about the new play.

Carrie Cracknell and Tom Scutt on The Deep Blue SeaTue 21 June, 6pm, Lyttelton

This new production of Terence Rattigan’s play is discussed by the director and the designer.

Rory Kinnear on The Threepenny Opera Mon 27 June, 3pm, Olivier, £6/£5 The actor reflects on the challenges and rewards of playing Macheath in this new production of The Threepenny Opera.

London Theatre in the 50s Fri 1 July, 6pm, Lyttelton BSIn 1952 in London, alongside Rattigan’s The Deep Blue Sea, you could see a mix of thrillers, comedies and revues, including Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, Noël Coward’s The Vortex, Jean Genet’s The Maids, and the musicals South Pacific and Call Me Madam. How did London Theatreland in the 50s differ from the one we know today, how did those writers fall in or out of favour in the years that followed, and what legacy did they leave behind? Guests looking at these questions from the perspective of today include Julius Green, author of Agatha Christie: A Life in Theatre, and Dan Rebellato, author of 1956 And All That and editor of Terence Rattigan’s plays. Chaired by Rachel Cooke, author of Her Brilliant Career: Ten Extraordinary Women of the Fifties.

Celebrating Shakespeare Events to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.

The Web of Our Life: Shakespeare and… Using the plays for inspiration, this series looks at how the work continues to tap in to everyday issues and key themes, with a leading NT actor and an expert in the field joining Genista McIntosh in conversation.

… Old Age with Simon Russell Beale Tue 19 April, 5.45pm (1hr), Olivier, £6/£5Actor Simon Russell Beale, who played the title role in King Lear in 2014 at the NT, is joined by Simon Lovestone, Professor of Translational Neuroscience at the University of Oxford’s Department of Psychiatry, to look at how memory and ageing is explored in Shakespeare’s plays.

… Migration with Lenny Henry Wed 20 April, 3pm (1hr), Olivier, £6/£5Actor Lenny Henry, who played the role of Antipholus of Syracuse in The Comedy of Errors in 2011 at the NT, is among the guests looking at how migration and exile is explored in Shakespeare’s plays.

… Family with Clare Higgins Wed 20 April, 5.45pm (1hr), Olivier, £6/£5

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Actor Clare Higgins, who played the role of Gertrude in Hamlet in 2010 at the NT, is among the guests looking at how family and gender is explored in Shakespeare’s plays.

Shakespeare at the NT Fri 22 April, Clore Learning Centre and Lyttelton

The Beginnings 10am (90mins), Clore, £8/£6The Shakespeare Memorial National Theatre: a journey through the early history of the struggle to bring a National Theatre to Britain. Ailsa Grant Ferguson of the University of Brighton focuses on three key moments a century ago – the Shakespeare Ball of 1911, Shakespeare’s England exhibition of 1912, and the building of the incredible Shakespeare Hut in 1916 – and explores how attitudes and agendas changed as the country moved into wartime, influencing what the new National Theatre was to become, half a century later.

The 20th Century 12noon (90mins), Clore, £8/£6 Daniel Rosenthal, author of The National Theatre Story, explores a series of landmark productions at the National Theatre, illuminating the work of directors and actors. The seminar will feature some of the NT’s extraordinary collection of archive material - photographs, correspondence, designs and more.

The 21st Centurywith Nicholas Hytner 2.30pm (1hr), Lyttelton, £6/£5The former Director of the National Theatre talks to Abigail Rokison-Woodall about his enormous contribution to the history of Shakespeare at the NT. In her forthcoming new book, Shakespeare in the Theatre: Nicholas Hytner, she looks at his career through his Shakespeare productions as a whole, including those of Henry V, Much Ado about Nothing, Timon of Athens and Othello at the National.

Writer for Today 6pm, Lyttelton A discussion on how the idea of Shakespeare as our contemporary has been absorbed into the culture, the impact in terms of modern productions, and what the future holds. Guests include Dominic Cooke (director of the NT’s The Comedy of Errors, and BBC’s The Hollow Crown;The Wars of the Roses) and Ben Power (adapter of Romeo and Juliet and The Comedy of Errors for Primary Shakespeare for the NT, and the screenplays for two series of the BBC’s Shakespeare films, The Hollow Crown).

Contact: Atri Banerjee on 020 7452 3236; abanerjee@nationaltheatre.org.uk

LEARNING

Nationaltheatre.org.uk/learn

The Clore Learning Centre is a dedicated centre at the heart of the NT for people of all ages to get involved in theatre and learn about every aspect of theatre-making, often direct from the artists and staff of the National Theatre. There are courses and events for adults; workshops for families; and new programmes for schools and young people: all designed to inspire participants with the skills of our backstage production departments and the work on our stages.

For Adults : An eclectic programme for everyone from the first-timer to the expert. Develop a deeper understanding of the NT repertoire, or try your hand at a practical aspect of theatre-making. nationaltheatre.org.uk/adultlearning 

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Course: Understanding As You Like It Fri 26 February and Fri 4 March, 10am - 1pmAn in-depth look at Shakespeare's comedy As You Like It led by Kate Bassett. Actors from the company join to discuss the approach taken with this production and guest speakers include designer Lizzie Clachan.

In Context: Katie Mitchell Thu 25 February, 5 – 8pmThis event explores and celebrates Katie Mitchell’s work at the NT including landmark productions Waves, Women of Troy, Some Trace of Her and Attempts on her Life.

African American Playwrights: The 20th Century Sat 27 February, 10.30am - 4.30pm and Sun 28 February, 11am - 3.30pmA weekend exploring some of the best-known as well as overlooked black American dramatists of the 20th Century. Led by Kate Dossett, Senior Lecturer in American History, University of Leeds. Speakers include Paulette Randall (theatre director) and Bonnie Greer (playwright and critic)

Movement Workshop Sat 27 February, 10am – 1pm and repeated at 2.30 - 5.30pmGet a taste of how a professional actor prepares to work physically in this practical workshop led by movement director Coral Messam.

Sarah Kane Explored: Staging the Unstageable  Fri 11 March, 10.30am - 3.30pmThrough talks, discussions and performed extracts, this event will explore how theatre-makers have overcome challenges to bring Sarah Kane’s plays to the stage and how audiences have responded to them.

Film screening: My Dinner with André                  Tue 15 March, 5pmLouis Malle’s captivating film, co-written by Shawn and Gregory, captures a conversation between actor and playwright Wallace Shawn and theatre director André Gregory at a Manhattan restaurant. Free, booking required

Talk: The Music from Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Weds 16 March, 5.30 - 6.30pmJoin Tim Sutton, Music Director for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, in conversation with Matthew Scott, Head of Music at the NT

Course: Introduction to Playwriting Every Fri from 29 April until 24 June, 2 - 5pmLearn to apply the basic elements of writing for the stage in this nine-week course. Explore the key principles of dramatic writing including character, structure, story and dialogue. Led by playwright Evan Placey

Talk: 35mm to Digital – The Changing Face of Film Projection Weds 18 May, 5.15pm-6.30pmAt the centre of The Flick are the people who work in a cinema which has one of the last 35mm film projectors in the state. From 2011 – 2013 approximately 90% of projectionists in Britain were made redundant when cinemas replaced their 35mm projectors with digital. Thousands of working projectors became tens. A panel of speakers discuss the momentous impact this change had on the industry and the people within it.

Playwriting workshop with Gary Owen: the 9,000 rules of drama. Mon 23 May 10.30am -5pmAward-winning playwright Gary Owen leads this one-day playwriting workshop. There seem to be lots of rules about what you should and shouldn’t do when writing a play. Through discussion and practical exercises Gary Owen will look at the rules he has found useful for his writing and the ones which are there to be broken.

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In Context: Russian Comedy on the British Stage Weds 25 May, 2 - 5pmAn afternoon exploring a range of Russian comedy by Gogol, Erdman, Turgenev and Chekhov. Speakers including Suhayla El-Bushra, playwright and adaptor of The Suicide. Chaired by Cynthia Marsh, Emeritus Professor of Russian Drama, University of Nottingham.

Talk: Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill in Collaboration Weds 8 June, 5.30 - 6.45pmThis event explores the ups and downs of composer Kurt Weill and playwright Bertolt Brecht’s working relationship. With Matthew Scott (NT Head of Music) and Tom Kuhn (University of Oxford).

TheatreworksThe NT’s unique and inspiring communications-based training programme, drawing on techniques used by actors and directors in the rehearsal room. Open courses for individuals from the corporate, public and not-for-profit sectors.Weds 9 Mar, Thurs 10 Mar, Wed 15 June, Thurs 16 June

For Families:Discover the skills and secrets behind productions at the National Theatre. Family workshops take place over school holidays and are designed for children aged 6–12 and adults to enjoy together.

Make a Play in a Day – Alice in Wonderland Sat 2 April and Sat 9 April, 9.45am - 4pm Become a Playmaker for the day at the Clore Learning Centre and treat your family to a unique behind-the-scenes experience. Devise a script and design a piece of costume, make some music and weave it all together in a performance at the end of the day.

For Young People (16-21-year-olds):

An exciting mix of short courses, skills workshops, talks and events.

Inside the Rehearsal Room – Cleansed workshop                      7 March 2016This practical workshop with the Staff Director from the production, looks at how the actors explored themes of love, fear and anger through character relationships and physicality.

Sound Workshop                                                           20 March 2016Melanie Wilson, the sound designer on Cleansed, takes you through how she created the sonic world of the play.  

Introduction to Movement                                                               April - May 20164-week practical course looking at how to warm up the body,choreography and working with text.

How to..... series                                                                                  May 2016Get an insight into the jobs, careers and roles within the National Theatre.

Exploring costumes                                                                            June 2016Want to know how costumes are created? From design to cutting and making - find out in these hands-on workshops.  

Creative Development Weekends - a space for creative young people who want to make theatre – see the website for more information. nationaltheatre.org.uk/young-people   

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For Secondary Schools and Colleges:

Next Stage Days: a chance for students to bring a piece of work-in-progress to the NT and get specialist input on voice and movement from NT staff and artists.

Make Theatre Days: an active and exciting introduction to theatre-making and the backstage world of the National Theatre for KS3 students

Workshops: designed to support drama and theatre studies at KS3, KS4 and post-16, are available on acting, directing or design and can focus on any production in the current NT repertoire.

Archive Learning Days: free sessions exploring key NT productions and genres.King Lear                    Tuesday 1 March and Monday 18 April

Costume Supervision: From Page to Stage Saturday 23 AprilAn interactive seminar for KS5 and HE students and those interested in a career in theatre costume.

Work Experience Programme Monday 13 – Friday 17 JuneA structured, week-long work experience project for KS4 students from schools from in London. Students will be introduced to a range of careers in theatre, through a series of hands-on workshops with staff and artists from across the NT.

Creative Choices                                                      Friday 17 JuneAn insight into the range of career opportunities backstage and off-stage – from costume and props to marketing and front of house. Suitable for KS4+.  Free event for London state schools.

For Primary Schools:

Make Theatre Days An active and exciting introduction to theatre-making and the backstage world of the National Theatre for Years 4 – 6. Available throughout the Spring and Summer terms.

Theatre FirstAn innovative learning programme for KS1 children. During April and May schools work with professional artists exploring aspects of theatre and performance. At the end of the project the children take part in a unique storytelling performance at the National Theatre incorporating their work.

Playmakers: Emil and the DetectivesA new project combining a cross-curricular creative learning programme, teacher training and a specially adapted version of Emil and the Detectives for schools to create their own end of year productionswww.nationaltheatre.org.uk/primary

Learning beyond the South Bank

Over 2000 teachers in 1500 schools across the UK are now using the groundbreaking free video streaming service National Theatre: On Demand in Schools. Schools in 93 different counties, in towns and cities from Falmouth to Inverness and Omagh to Whitby, are now able to watch a selection of acclaimed NT productions in their classrooms, on demand. In September further titles will be added, including Dominic Cooke’s production of The Comedy

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of Errors with Lenny Henry, and – expanding the service to include titles for primary schools – Polly Findlay’s staging of Treasure Island, adapted by Bryony Lavery. Each play is supported by curriculum-linked learning resources. National Theatre: On Demand in Schools is delivered in partnership with Frog Education Ltd, and supported by Stavros Niarchos Foundation and the Sidney E. Frank Foundation. Productions for primary schools are supported by The Goldsmiths’ Company Charity.

New ViewsThe National Theatre’s playwriting programme and competition for 15-19 year-olds. 70 schools from across the country are taking part in New Views and in March a team of 17 professional playwrights go into schools to give one-on-one feedback to students on the first drafts of their 30-minute plays. If you are interested in finding out more about the programme or registering for New Views 2016-2017 visit new-views.tv

ConnectionsEvery year the National Theatre commissions new plays by leading playwrights for young theatre companies all over the country to perform, in our nationwide Connections Festival.  This year we celebrate the 21st anniversary of Connections. 500 youth theatre companies and 10,000 young people from every corner of the UK, working with 45 partner theatres, perform twelve outstanding plays drawn from the 150 works written for young people since the festival began in 1995. Our 45 Partner Theatre Festivals, at the following venues, run from 10 March until 24 June 2016:

Stephen Joseph TheatreTricycle TheatreBristol Old VicGreenwich TheatreSheffield TheatresEden Court TheatreLyric Theatre, BelfastSoho TheatreSherman CymruBelgrade TheatreLighthouse PooleWaterside TheatreHall for CornwallThe Garage, NorwichNorwich PlayhouseCast, DoncasterartsdepotBrewery Arts CentreBrighton DomeRoyal and DerngateTheatre Royal BathNorthern StageWest Yorkshire PlayhouseDerby TheatreHOME, ManchesterMercury TheatreWatermans Arts CentreWarwick Arts CentreCambridge JunctionThe North Wall Arts Centre

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Birmingham RepLyric HammersmithOrange Tree TheatreThe AlbanyDundee Rep TheatreAberystwyth Arts CentreCurve, LeicesterQueens Theatre HornchurchBolton OctagonTheatre Royal Stratford EastThe Marlowe TheatreThe LowryChichester Festival Theatre / The Capitol, HorshamLyceum Theatre

Project OctagonThe National Theatre is looking for male volunteers aged 18-35 for an exciting, UK wide theatre project for Summer 2016.  We are looking for individuals who are dedicated and enthusiastic about taking part in a one-off, large scale event, which will be directed by an award-winning team and will mark a moment in national history.www.projectoctagon.eventbrite.co.uk

BEYOND THE SOUTH BANK

Forthcoming National Theatre Live broadcasts include AS YOU LIKE IT from the Olivier Theatre on 25 February, and the Royal Court Theatre production of HANGMEN by Martin McDonagh from Wyndham’s Theatre on 3 March. For venue information and booking details, please visit ntlive.com

Duncan Macmillan’s PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS transfers to the West End’s Wyndham’s Theatre from 15 March, again directed by Jeremy Herrin in a collaboration between Headlong and the NT. Denise Gough recreates her performance as Emma, for which she won the 2016 Critics’ Circle Award for Best Actress.  The limited run has been extended until 18 June 2016.

The Olivier and Tony Award-winning production of THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME extends its run at the Gielgud Theatre to 29 October 2016 and will embark on a second major national tour from January – September 2017.  American Express is the Preferred Card Partner in the West End.

A second major UK tour of WAR HORSE will open in Canterbury in September 2017 and then visit Bristol, Liverpool, Oxford, Brighton, Bradford and Nottingham, coinciding with the centenary commemorations of the final year of World War One. Its last performance at the New London Theatre will be on 12 March 2016, by which time it will have played over 3,000 performances and been seen over seven million people worldwide and 2.7 million people in London alone.  Members of the original creative team, including Michael Morpurgo, the author of the original novel and co-directors Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris are reuniting on the day of the final performance for a special Platform at 5.15pm – War Horse: The Final Farewell.

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ENDS18 February 2016

Booking information:Public booking for Another World; Losing Our Children to Islamic State is now open. Public booking for Young Chekhov, The Deep Blue Sea, The Plough and the Stars and Sunset at the Villa Thalia will open on 4 March.

Book tickets online at nationaltheatre.org.uk Box Office: 020 7452 3000Twitter: @nationaltheatre #NTnewseasonFacebook: national.theatre.londonYouTube: NationalTheatreInstagram: nationaltheatre

THE NATIONAL’S SPONSORS

The National Theatre would appreciate an acknowledgement in the body of the text and/or as a separate footnote following editorial copy.

The National Theatre is supported using public funding by Arts Council England.

Travelex £15 Tickets sponsored by

The National Theatre is working in partnership with American Express

NT Future is supported by Bank of America Merrill Lynch

The National Theatre’s partner for new audiences is Bloomberg Philanthropies

The National Theatre’s partner for connectivity is Cisco

The National Theatre’s photographic images partner is Corbis

The National Theatre’s UK touring hotel partner is Intercontinental Hotels Group

The National Theatre is a J.P. Morgan Partner

The Dorfman Partner is Neptune Investment Management

A National Theatre IT partner is Nimble Storage

The National Theatre’s pouring partner is Nyetimber

The National Theatre’s partner for Lighting and Energy is Philips The official hotel partner of the National Theatre is Radisson Blu Edwardian, London

National Theatre Live’s 4K Technology Partner is Sony Digital Cinema

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The National Theatre’s partner for New Writing is ITV

The National Theatre wishes to acknowledge its partner National Angels Limited

THE NATIONAL’S REPERTOIRE as of 18 February 2016NATIONAL THEATRE PRESS OFFICETel: 020 7452 3235 Fax: 020 7452 3230 Email press@nationaltheatre.org.uk

PLAY THEATRE PRESS NIGHT CONTACTANOTHER WORLD – LOSING OUR CHILDREN TO ISLAMIC STATE

Temporary Theatre 15 April Martin Shippen

AS YOU LIKE IT Olivier Theatre Mary ParkerCLEANSED Dorfman Theatre 23 Feb Martin ShippenTHE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME

Gielgud Theatre

UK tour

Media/Press night for new cast 6 July

Nada Zakula

THE DEEP BLUE SEA

Lyttelton Theatre 8 June Mary Parker

EVENING AT THE TALK HOUSE

Dorfman Theatre Mary Parker

THE FLICK Dorfman Theatre 19 April Emma HardyLES BLANCS Olivier Theatre 30 March Martin ShippenMA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM

Lyttelton Theatre Mary Parker

PEOPLE PLACES AND THINGS

Wyndham’s Theatre 23 March Nada Zakula

THE PLOUGH AND THE STARS

Lyttelton Theatre 27 July Martin Shippen

THE SOLID LIFE OF SUGAR WATER

Temporary Theatre 29 Feb Emma Hardy

THE SUICIDE Lyttelton Theatre 13 April Mary Parker SUNSET AT THE VILLA THALIA

Dorfman Theatre 1 July Emma Hardy

THE THREEPENNY OPERA

Olivier Theatre 26 May Martin Shippen

YOUNG CHEKHOV Olivier Theatre 3 August Mary ParkerWAR HORSE New London Theatre Nada ZakulaWONDER.LAND Olivier Theatre Martin ShippenPLATFORMS Atri BanerjeeNT LIVE Mary Parker and

Martin ShippenCLORE LEARNING CENTRE

Martin Shippen

Vicky Kington, Head of Press: vkington@nationaltheatre.org.uk 020 7452 3232 (from 22 Feb)Mary Parker, Senior Press Officer: mparker@nationaltheatre.org.uk 020 7452 3234Martin Shippen, Press Manager: mshippen@nationaltheatre.org.uk 020 7452 3233Emma Hardy, Press Officer: ehardy@nationaltheatre.org.uk 020 7452 3061Atri Banerjee, Press Assistant: abanerjee@nationaltheatre.org.uk 020 7452 3236. Nada Zakula, Head of Press and Communications at National Theatre Productions (People, Places and Things / War Horse/Curious Incident) nzakula@nationaltheatre.org.uk 020 7452 3046

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