The National Theatre has announced full casting for David Lan’s new play The Land of the Living, directed by Stephen Daldry.
The Land of the Living is playing in the Dorfman Theatre at the National Theatre from 9 September to 1 November 2025.
Already announced is Olivier Award-winner Juliet Stevenson (The Doctor) as Ruth and Tom Wlaschiha (Game of Thrones) as Thomas, in this timely new play that is immersed in the shape-shifting nature of memory and morality.
Also previously announced are Atilla Akinci, Kate Duchêne, Hubert Hanowicz, Caroline Loncq, Avital Lvova, Michael Marcus, and Anastasia Martin.
Joining the cast are Michael C. Fox (Downton Abbey, Othello), with Marek Oravec, Cosima Shaw and Sasha Syzoneko, and young performers including Darcy Tosun, Artie Wilkinson-Hunt and Anton Vehring.
Directed by Stephen Daldry (The Inheritance, Stranger Things: The First Shadow), The Land of the Living is written by former Artistic Director of the Young Vic, David Lan.
Initially set in Germany in 1945, Thomas, one of thousands of children stolen by the Nazis from Eastern Europe during WWII, is under the care of Ruth, a UN relief worker. Should she try to find his parents or leave him with those he’s grown up with? The choice she makes will shape his life. Years later, Thomas visits Ruth. As they untangle the past, the decisions Ruth made as a very young woman are called powerfully into question.
The creative team also includes set designer Miriam Buether, costume designer Nicky Gillibrand, lighting designer James Farncombe, sound designer Gareth Fry, composer Paul Englishby, movement director Paul McGill, fight and intimacy director Maisie Carter, casting director Naomi Downham, dialect and language coach Victoria Woodward, voice coach Cathleen McCarron, associate director Jane Moriarty and staff director Júlia Levai.
The Land of the Living is running at the National Theatre from 9 September to 1 November 2025.
More about The Land of the Living tickets at the National Theatre in London
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