The full cast has been announced for a bold new production of Caryl Churchill’s landmark play Cloud 9, directed by Dominic Cooke. The new production will be staged at the National Theatre’s Lyttelton theatre this November.
Dominic Cooke reunites with the multi-award-winning Caryl Churchill for a new staging of Churchill’s landmark play Cloud 9, at the National Theatre. First performed in 1979, Cloud 9, with its audacious theatricality and razor-sharp wit, continues to challenge how we think about gender, power and the legacies of empire. This bold new staging will arrive at the National Theatre’s Lyttelton theatre from 2 November 2026 until 13 January 2027.
The full cast has now been revealed for the upcoming production. As previously announced, Rebecca Humphries (The Crown), Eloka Ivo (Black Superhero, Royal Court), Tom Mothersdale (Bodies) and Charlotte Ritchie (Ghosts) will take to the stage as part of the company. The company will also include Ellen Robertson (Vladimir), Stuart Thompson (Romans: A Novel, Almeida Theatre) and Sam Troughton (Chernobyl) as Clive/Cathy.
The complete cast of Cloud 9
As announced today, the complete company for the National Theatre’s upcoming revival includes:
- Rebecca Humphries as Ellen/Mrs Saunders/Lin
- Eloka Ivo as Joshua/Gerry
- Tom Mothersdale as Harry Bagley/Martin
- Charlotte Ritchie as Maud/Victoria
- Ellen Robertson as Edward/Betty
- Stuart Thompson as Betty/Edward
- Sam Troughton as Clive/Cathy
The company is completed by understudies Tom Brace-Jenkins, Izaak Cainer, Dan Furlonger, Skye Hallam, Meg Lewis and Ola Teniola.
What is Cloud 9 about?
The play is set in Victorian Africa, where Clive is a colonial administrator and patriarch, his wife, son and servant struggle to be what’s expected of them. When the family turn up a hundred years later in 1970s London, what can they make of themselves in a world where empire lingers and freedom calls?
Of the play, director Dominic Cooke said:
‘Caryl Churchill has been an inspiration to me for decades. Her ability to bring complex current ideas to life in groundbreaking theatrical forms is second to none. Of her early plays, Cloud Nine is one of my favourites: by turns hilarious, insightful and astute. Its formally playful exploration of gender and sexuality was decades ahead of its time and still feels as fresh and pertinent as ever. I can’t wait to bring this brilliant cast onto the Lyttelton stage and share Caryl’s unique vision with National Theatre audiences.‘
Cooke is joined on the creative team by set designer Miriam Buether, costume designer Samuel Wyer, lighting designer Jessica Hung Han Yun, sound designer Donato Wharton and composer Andy Roberts, with music direction by Josh Sneesby and casting by Naomi Downham.
Plan your visit to Cloud 9
- Venue: Lyttelton theatre, National Theatre, London
- Booking dates: 2 November 2026 – 13 January 2027
National Theatre - Lyttelton Theatre, London
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