Also see: National Theatre announces 2025 – 2026 season – Read more >
The National Theatre in London has announced its new season for 2025, the final season from its outgoing Artistic Director Rufus Norris.
Highlights of the new season include four world premieres with plays by Suzie Miller, Shaan Sahota, David Lan, and David Eldridge.
Adeel Akhtar, Arinzé Kene and Rosamund Pike will make their National Theatre debuts, and Tracie Bennett, Rory Kinnear, Denis O’Hare, Michael Sheen, Cherrelle Skeete and Juliet Stevenson are all returning to the venue.
The National will present the UK premiere of Stephen Sondheim’s last musical Here We Are, directed by Joe Mantello in a new production for the National.
Playing the Lyttelton theatre from 23 April to 28 June 2025, the cast will include Tracie Bennett and Denis O’Hare, who also starred in the original New York production, plus Rory Kinnear.
Other new productions include a revival of Michael Abbensetts’ Alterations directed by Lynette Linton and starring Arinzé Kene and Cherrelle Skeete, running in the Lyttelton theatre from 20 February to 5 April 2025.
Alterations is an era-defining comedy about the Guyanese experience of 1970s London and the aspirations and sacrifices of the Windrush generation. The play has been “refreshed” with additional material by Trish Cooke.
Returning to the National Theatre for a short run in June is their award-winning production of London Road by Alecky Blythe and Adam Cork, once again directed by Rufus Norris.
London Road will play the Olivier theatre from 5 to 21 June 2025.
Also returning is Michael Sheen in Nye, playing the Olivier Theatre from 3 July to 16 August 2025, and the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, from 22 to 30 August 2025.
Already announced is the return of James Graham’s award-winning drama Dear England to the Olivier Theatre from 10 March 2025 to 24 May 2025. The play will also run for four weeks at The Lowry in Salford.
Four new plays have also been announced, one for the Lyttelton and three for the Dorfman theatre. Dates for the four productions are to be confirmed.
As previously announced, the Dorfman theatre is closing from mid-November 2024 for urgent infrastructure work, reopening in June 2025.
Coming to the Lyttelton theatre in Summer 2025, the team behind award-winning drama Prima Facie, writer Suzie Miller and director Justin Martin, reunite for new drama Inter Alia, starring Rosamund Pike.
Pike plays an eminent High Court Judge forced to reckon her professional life and role as wife, mother, friend and feminist.
Daniel Raggett will direct Shaan Sahota’s new play The Estate, starring Adeel Akhtar (Sherwood). The play is a family drama and political satire about the moral downfall of a politician, running in the Dorfman Theatre.
Juliet Stevenson will star in David Lan’s new play The Land of the Living, directed by Stephen Daldry. The Dorfman Theatre production tells the story of displaced children after World War II.
David Eldridge’s new play End, the final part of his trilogy that included Beginning and Middle, is also scheduled for the Dorfman theatre, directed by Rachel O’Riordan.
Rufus Norris, Director and Co-Chief Executive said in a statement: “Leading the creative powerhouse that is the National Theatre over the past decade has been a profound privilege. I am humbled by the commitment, dedication and passion shown day in and day out by the extraordinary people who have joined me in the mission to make the NT a representative, sustainable, world class theatre, reaching far beyond its concrete walls. From establishing the New Work Department, which has sparked an explosion of new voices on and off stage, to creating NT at Home, now streaming in nearly every county in the world, I am beyond thrilled that NT now has a global audience reach of 19 million. There is simply nowhere else like it on earth. I can’t wait to watch from the wings as it flourishes and grows for future generations to enjoy under the brilliant leadership of Indhu Rubasingham and Kate Varah.”
Tickets are on sale to the public on 16 October 2024 for Alterations, Here We Are, London Road and Nye.
Currently playing at the National Theatre is Coriolanus to 9 November 2024. Coming up is A Tupperware of Ashes from 25 September 2024; The Other Place from 27 September 2024; The Importance of Being Earnest from 20 November 2024; and Ballet Shoes from 23 November 2024.
More about tickets to Here We Are at the National Theatre
More about tickets to Dear England at the National Theatre
More about tickets to London Road at the National Theatre
More about tickets to Nye at the National Theatre
More about tickets to Inter Alia at the National Theatre
More about tickets to Alterations at the National Theatre
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