Letitia Wright will make her National Theatre debut in The Story, a gripping drama by American playwright Tracey Scott Wilson, set to premiere in the Olivier Theatre.
Directed by National Theatre Associate Clint Dyer, the production is a bold addition to the NT’s newly announced season under new Artistic Director Indhu Rubasingham.
Making its British premiere, The Story is a taut and timely exploration of journalistic ethics, ambition, and racial politics, inspired by real-life events. Wright plays an ambitious Black reporter who defies her editor to pursue a volatile lead—risking truth, credibility, and professional boundaries in her pursuit of a career-making scoop. The play interrogates the murky intersection between race, media power, and moral compromise in a newsroom under pressure.
First produced in the U.S. in 2003, The Story marked Tracey Scott Wilson as a major voice in American theatre, blending razor-sharp dialogue with deep social insight. Its resonance has only intensified in the age of misinformation, media distrust, and debates around representation in journalism.
Wright is best known for her role as Shuri in Marvel’s Black Panther films and more recently in Aisha and Small Axe. Later this year she will appear in new play Superwoman Schema at the Bush Theatre, alongside Bridgerton star Golda Rosheuvel. Written by Emma Dennis-Edwards and directed by outgoing Bush Artistic Director Lynette Linton, Superwoman Schema will run from 6 September to 25 October 2025.
Clint Dyer — whose previous National Theatre credits include Death of England and Othello —returns to direct what promises to be a high-stakes, high-impact staging in the Olivier, the NT’s largest auditorium.
The Story joins a season that blends major revivals and world premieres, further establishing the National Theatre as a platform for politically charged, culturally relevant drama.
Performance dates and further casting for The Story are to be announced.
Wright joins a growing list of acclaimed women leading major productions in Rubasingham’s debut season. Highlights include:
- Lesley Manville and Monica Barbaro in Les Liaisons Dangereuses, directed by Marianne Elliott
- Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton, Derry Girls) and Siobhán McSweeney (Derry Girls, Holding) in Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World
The current season under Rufus Norris also spotlights major female talent across the National’s stages:
- Inter Alia, starring Rosamund Pike
- London Road, featuring Linzi Hateley, Clare Burt, and Claire Moore
- End, with Saskia Reeves (Slow Horses) alongside Clive Owen
- The Land of the Living, starring Juliet Stevenson
- Here We Are, the final Stephen Sondheim musical, with a starry cast including Tracie Bennett, Jane Krakowski (30 Rock), and Martha Plimpton (Sweat)
More about The Story starring Letitia Wright
National Theatre - Olivier Theatre, London
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