Andrea Levy’s Small Island is set to return to the National Theatre alongside a transfer of Richard Hawley’s musical and a debut performance from Kristin Scott Thomas in the new season, it has been announced today.
Helen Edmundson’s adaptation of Levy’s Orange Prize-winning novel had a sold-out run last year under the direction of artistic director Rufus Norris. It will run on the Olivier stage, which is also set to host Standing at the Sky’s Edge, a co-production with Sheffield Theatres that features songs by singer-songwriter Hawley, telling a story of three families on a Sheffield estate.
Scott Thomas will make her National Theatre debut in a new version of Greek myth Phaedra, after Euripedes, Seneca and Racine, devised by Simon Stone who also directs. Nicola Walker will also star on the Lyttelton stage, in Dominic Cooke’s production of Welsh classic The Corn is Green by Emlyn Williams.
Another mythological adaptation comes in the form of Kate Tempest's Paradise, a new version of Sophocles' Philoctetes, which will star Lesley Sharp under Ian Rickson's direction.
A number of directors will make their debuts at the theatre in the upcoming season: Bush Theatre boss Lynette Linton will director former Hamilton original cast member Giles Terera in a new production of Pearl Cleage’s Blues for an Alabama Sky. Nicole Charles, who helmed the much-lauded Emilia at the Globe and in the West End, will direct Roy Williams’ Sing Yer Heart Out For The Lads, which ran at the Chichester Festival Theatre last year.
Following on from their collaboration on Orlando at the Barbican, director Katie Mitchell and playwright Alice Birch team up for a new adaptation of Rachel Cusk’s acclaimed trilogy of novels, Outline. Transit. Kudos.
Two new plays include After Life by Jack Thorne and created together with director Jeremy Herrin and designer Bunny Christie and adapted from the film of the same name by Hirokazu Kore-eda. April de Angelis’ story of gentrification in Hackney, Kerry Jackson, will debut under Indhu Rubasingham’s direction.
Elsewhere, Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane will transfer to the Duke of York’s Theatre, and a new play written and directed by Nadia Fall will open at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, before transferring to the National in May next year. Welcome to Iran will be based on real life testimonials.
These plays join Emma Rice’s previously announced production of Wuthering Heights, with Lucy McCormick announced as playing Cathy.
Norris also announced that he has signed up for five more years as artistic director, adding that the theatre's diversity targets will be met by this time next year.
For the full programme, head to nationaltheatre.org.uk
