Dates have been announced for Cate Blanchett’s return to the National Theatre in Electra / Persona.
The world-premiere production will play the National Theatre’s Lyttelton theatre from 19 August to 10 October 2026.
Directed and adapted by Benedict Andrews (A Streetcar Named Desire), Electra/Persona fuses Sophocles’ Greek tragedy with Ingmar Bergman’s 1966 film Persona, exploring identity, grief, performance and the fragile line between who we are and who we play.
The cast features two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett alongside German actress Nina Hoss, with whom she starred in the Oscar-nominated film Tár, and rising talent Ella Lily Hyland (Black Doves).
The show asks: Which role undid you in the end?
In Electra, a daughter is consumed by grief and rage, clinging to justice as her world falls apart. In Persona, an actress suddenly falls silent during a performance of Electra, leading to an intense and unsettling encounter between two women as speech breaks down and the boundaries between self and role give way.
The creative team includes set designer Magda Willi, costume designer Merle Hensel, composer Hildur Guðnadóttir, lighting designer Jon Clark, video designer Ash J Woodward, casting by Alastair Coomer CDG, associate director Danica Selem, music associate Deanna H. Choi and staff director Oliver Hurst.
Blanchett last appeared at the National Theatre in 2019 in Martin Crimp’s When We Have Sufficiently Tortured Each Other, and recently starred in The Seagull at the Barbican Theatre.
Electra/Persona is at the National Theatre’s Lyttelton theatre from 19 August to 10 October 2026. Tickets go on sale from 12 noon on Thursday 21 May 2026.
Electra / Persona at the National Theatre
- Theatre: Lyttelton Theatre at the National Theatre, Southbank, London
- Booking dates: 19 August to 10 October 2026
- Stars: Cate Blanchett, Nina Hoss, Ella Lily Hyland
- Tickets: More details at our Electra / Persona ticket page here >
National Theatre - Lyttelton Theatre, London
Related News
The National Theatre is calling: theatre issues a public casting notice for soon-to-be announced 2027 musical
Full cast announced for explosive new drama Some Woman at the National Theatre led by Anne-Marie Duff
Peek behind the curtain with Letitia Wright, Lorraine Toussaint and the cast of The Story in rehearsals
Sophocles meets Ingrid Bergman: Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss in rehearsals for Electra/Persona at the National Theatre
Latest News
Broadway legend Patti LuPone returns to the London Coliseum for Valentine’s Day 2027
Helen of Troy never got to tell her side. Watch the trailer for the play that does
After a sell-out world tour, The Choir of Man returns to the West End this Christmas
