Production images have been released for Cloud 9, Caryl Churchill’s groundbreaking and influential play, which is currently playing at the National Theatre’s Lyttelton Theatre until 13 January 2027.
Directed by Dominic Cooke, the new production reunites the acclaimed director with the multi-award-winning playwright for a fresh staging of the satirical classic, first performed in 1979. Renowned for its theatrical inventiveness and sharp examination of gender, power and colonialism, Cloud 9 continues to resonate with contemporary audiences.
The cast features Rebecca Humphries, Eloka Ivo, Tom Mothersdale, Charlotte Ritchie, Ellen Robertson, Stuart Thompson and Sam Troughton, alongside understudies Tom Brace-Jenkins, Izaak Cainer, Dan Furlonger, Skye Hallam, Meg Lewis and Ola Teniola.
Set initially in Victorian Africa, the play follows colonial administrator Clive and his family as they struggle to conform to societal expectations. One hundred years later, the characters reappear in 1970s London, confronting a changing world shaped by the lingering effects of empire and emerging ideas of freedom and identity.
The creative team includes set designer Miriam Buether, costume designer Samuel Wyer, lighting designer Jessica Hung Han Yun, sound designer Donato Wharton, composer Andy Roberts, music director Josh Sneesby, casting director Naomi Downham, dialect coach Penny Dyer, voice coach Shereen Ibrahim, associate director Max Harrison and associate set designer Luke Smith.
Cloud 9 is running at the National Theatre’s Lyttelton Theatre until 13 January 2027.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
