London's National Theatre has unveiled 16 new productions for its upcoming season, the first programmed by Director Indhu Rubasingham.
Among the offerings are a planned repertory presentation of Tom Murphy's A Whistle in the Dark and Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, both to be led by Normal People star Paul Mescal in his National Theatre debut. Set for the company's Lyttleton Theatre in 2027, the productions will be the National's first repertory presentation since 2020. Abbey Theatre Artistic Director Caitr铆ona McLaughlin will direct A Whistle in the Dark, and Rebecca Frecknall (Cabaret) will helm Death of a Salesman. The former will transfer to Ireland's Abbey Theatre following the London performances. A second repertory offering in the Lyttleton is to be announced.
The season will open with the first ever playwriting debut on the company's Olivier stage, with Nima Taleghani's Bacchae, to be directed by Rubasingham. The production will run September 13-November 1, 2025, opening September 24. The new take on the classic drama celebrating the God of theatre is "fuelled by spoken word and rhyme," with press notes promising "a riot of lyricism, music, and movement." The cast will include James McArdle (Angels in America), Clare Perkins, and Ukweli Roach. Robert Jones is designing, and Kate Prince will choreograph, to an original score by DJ Walde. The production will be filmed for release on National Theatre At Home, the company's streaming service available worldwide.
Taleghani is also adapting the piece to tour secondary schools and colleges in the U.K. in 2026, a separate production to be directed by Hannah Hauer-King. The plan is part of the National's hope to reach every U.K. schoolchild before they graduate.
Next up, in the Lyttleton, will be a new staging of Shakespeare's Hamlet, with Hiran Abeysekera starring in the title role. Deputy Artistic Director Robert Hastie will helm, with performances running September 25-November 22. Opening night will be October 2. This production will be filmed for cinema broadcast via the company's NTLive series.
Following Hamlet in the Lyttleton will be a revival of John Millington Synge's The Playboy of the Western World, to be directed by Abbey Theatre's McLaughlin. Nicola Coughlan, 脡anna Hardwicke, Siobh谩n McSweeney, and Marty Yea will star, with performances running December 4-February 28, 2026, with opening night December 11.
Back in the Olivier, the holiday offering will be Kendall Feaver's adaptation of Noel Streatfeild's novel Ballet Shoes, directed by Katy Rudd. The family show will perform November 17-February 21, 2026, and open November 25. And the company is already announcing the 2025 holiday production, which will be a new adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, penned by Anupama Chandrasekhar. Rubasingham will direct, with puppetry by Finn Caldwell and Nick Barnes, the team behind the puppets of the West End and Broadway's Life of Pi.
Also newly announced but without a production timeline yet is the British premiere of Tracey Scott Wilson's The Story, about a Black reporter who goes against her editor to pursue an incendiary lead. Letitia Wright will star in her National Theatre debut, with Artistic Associate Clint Dyer directing. Tony and Olivier winner Marianne Elliott will also stage a revival of Les Liaisons Dangereuses starring Monica Barbaro, Lesley Manville, and Aidan Turner. Caryl Churchill is also set to be back at the National for the first time since 2019 with Cloud 9, directed by Dominic Cooke.
In the Dorfman Theatre, the company will host the world premiere stage musical of the 2014 film Pride, which tells the true story of a group of gay and lesbian activists joining the miners' strike of 1984. The work features a book and lyrics by Stephen Beresford and music by Christopher Nightingale, Josh Cohen, and DJ Walde, with Matthew Warchus set to direct. The National's run will follow performances at Cardiff's Sherman Theatre. P&P Productions is producing.
Winsome Pinnock's The Authenticator will also premiere in the venue, about a family whose past is uncovered by a valuable discovery in a dilapidated stately home. Artistic Associate Miranda Cromwell will direct.
Carmen Nasr will make a National debut with Samira, originally commissioned by Kiln Theatre. Inspired by real events, the play centers on a Syrian blogger who is not all she seems.
In 2026, Terence Rattigan's Man and Boy will get a new staging with Anthony Lau at the helm and Ben Daniels starring.
The final Dorfman offering being announced is a new commission from immersive company Punchdrunk, to be performed in 2027.
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