The National Theatre has announced full casting for its global phenomenon War Horse, which returns to the Olivier Theatre nearly twenty years after its original debut.
Based on Michael Morpurgo’s bestselling novel and adapted by Nick Stafford, War Horse has become the most successful play in the National Theatre’s history. The production has won more than 25 major awards and captivated over 8.8 million people worldwide. It will once again welcome audiences from 16 May to 30 July 2026.
The story follows Albert and his beloved horse Joey, set against the backdrop of the First World War. Featuring Handspring Puppet Company’s remarkable life-sized horse puppets and a powerful score, the production remains a landmark of modern theatre.
The full cast of 35 includes Anita Adam Gabay, Rianna Ash, Eloise Beaumont-Wood, Stephen Beckett, Ike Bennett, Jo Castleton, Owen Dagnall, Alexandra Donnachie, Felicity Donnelly, Sam Goodchild, Danny Hendrix, Jasmin Hinds, Linford Johnson, Andrew Keay, Nicholas Khan, Manuel Klein, Michael Larcombe, Matthew Lawrence, Madeleine Leslay, Wade Lewin, Jack Lord, Damian Lynch, Lewis McBean, Chris Milford, Corey Montague-Sholay, Jordan Paris, Anne-Marie Piazza, Daniel Rock, Simon Stanhope, Tom Sturgess, Sally Swanson, Lucy Thorburn, Christopher Williams, Niko Wirachman and Rafe Young.
This revival has been created by director Tom Morris with revival director Katie Henry. The creative team also includes Rae Smith, Adrian Kohler, Rob Casey, Toby Sedgwick, Matthew Forbes, Nicol Scott, Adrian Sutton, John Tams, Christopher Shutt and Dom Coyote. Casting is by Jill Green CDG with Paul Benzing as Fight Director and Rebecca Daltry as Dialect Coach.
Further associates include Anna Marshall, William Fricker, Johanna Coe, Tom Turner, Lewis Howard, Matthew Gough, Rob Bettle, Emma Laxton, Olivia Laydon and Tom Shiels.
War Horse originally premiered at the National Theatre in 2007 before transferring to the West End and later embarking on multiple international tours. It has now been seen in more than 100 cities across 15 countries, while Morpurgo’s novel has sold over two million copies worldwide.
Performances will run in the Olivier Theatre from Saturday 16 May to Thursday 30 July 2026, with an opening performance on Tuesday 2 June. The production is recommended for ages 10+.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
