Death of England, starring Olivier nominee Rafe Spall, opens February 6 at the Dorfman Theatre in London鈥檚 National Theatre complex.
Roy Williams and Clint Dyer鈥檚 solo one-act, written specifically for Spall (Hedda Gabler, Betrayal), follows a man at his father鈥檚 funeral as he gives a speech about the man and the country that raised him. The work explores identity, race, and class in Britain.
Dyer also directs the play, becoming the first Black British artist to have performed, written, and directed a full-scale production at the National Theatre. The multi-hyphenate played Cutler in the National鈥檚 revival of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom in 2016.
Serving on the creative team are set and costume designers Sadeysa Greenaway-Bailey and ULTZ, lighting designer Jackie Shemesh, sound designers Pete Malkin and Benjamin Grant, staff director Sian Ejiwunmi-Le Berre, dialect coach Hazel Holder, and production design assistant Shankho Chaudhuri, with movement by Lucy Cullingford. Cary Crankson (Children of Darkness) serves as the understudy to Spall.
