The National Theatre has announced full casting for The Land of the Living, a new play by David Lan, as rehearsals begin on the South Bank.
Olivier Award-winner Juliet Stevenson (The Doctor) and Tom Wlaschiha (Game of Thrones) will lead the cast as Ruth and Thomas in this powerful new drama exploring memory and morality.
Directed by Stephen Daldry (The Inheritance), The Land of the Living will run in the Dorfman theatre from 9 September to 1 November 2025, forming part of Rufus Norris’ final season as Director of the National Theatre.
Joining Stevenson and Wlaschiha are Atilla Akinci, Kate Duchêne, Michael Fox, Hubert Hanowicz, Caroline Loncq, Avital Lvova, Michael Marcus, Anastasia Martin, Marek Oravec, Cosima Shaw and Sasha Syzoneko.
Young performers Darcy Tosun, Artie Wilkinson-Hunt and Anton Vehring complete the cast.
The creative team includes set designer Miriam Buether, costume designer Nicky Gillibrand, lighting designer James Farncombe, and sound designer Gareth Fry.
Composer Paul Englishby, movement director Paul McGill, and fight and intimacy director Maisie Carter also join the team, alongside casting director Naomi Downham.
Dialect and language coach Victoria Woodward, voice coach Cathleen McCarron, associate director Jane Moriarty and staff director Júlia Levai round out the production team.
Set in Germany in 1945, The Land of the Living follows Thomas, a child stolen by the Nazis, now under the care of Ruth, a UN relief worker.
She must decide whether to reunite him with his birth family or leave him with those he’s grown up with — a decision that will shape his life.
Years later, Thomas returns to confront Ruth, and the choices she made as a young woman are brought into sharp focus.
The Land of the Living will play in the Dorfman theatre from 9 September to 1 November, with a press night on Thursday 18 September.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
