Rufus Norris today announces his final programme as Director of the National Theatre, concluding his decade leading the organisation and creating a lasting impact for generations to come. The work on stage and the initiatives announced today exemplify the commitments he has driven forward – to new work, representation on and off stage, sustainability and nationwide reach.
The programme was launched today at the new National Theatre Green Store, the latest and most significant National Theatre environmental initiative marking Rufus’ profound commitment to sustainability, and includes four world premieres by playwrights Suzie Miller, Shaan Sahota, David Lan, and David Eldridge alongside the return of some of the National Theatre’s most popular and loved productions – Dear England, London Road and Nye.
Together they showcase the National Theatre as a powerhouse for new writing and celebrate the creation by Rufus of the New Work Department, which over ten years has expanded the range of voices and stories told on the National Theatre’s stages. His final season continues the commitment to increasing the recognition of the work of underserved creative talent with the programming of Michael Abbensetts’ Alterations, a seminal work from the Black Plays Archive based at the National Theatre. Also announced today is the long-awaited return of the musical London Road, originally directed by Rufus in 2011 which led to him becoming an Associate of the National Theatre and then Director in 2015, as well as a new production of Stephen Sondheim’s last musical Here We Are. This staging of Sondheim’s final work follows the huge success of Follies and cements the National Theatre as the UK home of the legendary composer’s work.
Rufus Norris’ passion to bring new audiences to theatre and cultivate future generations of theatre-makers is seen through the continued expansion of the digital reach of the National Theatre with a free global YouTube stream of Nye as part of his ‘Take Your Seats’ initiative, available to watch from 7pm GMT on 7 – 11 November on the National Theatre’s YouTube channel. His focus on creative education and access to the arts will also have a landmark moment in 2025 with the 30th anniversary of the National Theatre’s flagship nationwide youth theatre programme Connections, over the decades 125,000 young people have taken part. Over the past 30 years, Connections alumni have forged careers across the creative industries as well as gained vital transferable skills for roles in wider sectors. Tonight, the National Theatre celebrates the homecoming of one of its most celebrated Connections alumni, David Oyelowo, taking centre stage for Coriolanus.
This final season features stories told by world-class theatre-makers that reflect a rich and resonant range of perspectives. From Shaan Sahota’s brand-new play The Estate, directed by Daniel Raggett, a family drama and political satire about the moral downfall of a politician played by Adeel Akhtar, to Suzie Miller who reunites with director Justin Martin following the global success of Prima Facie, for the world premiere of Inter Alia, with initial casting that includes Rosamund Pike making her National Theatre debut as an eminent High Court Judge forced to reckon her professional life and role as wife, mother, friend and feminist. Guyana-born British writer Michael Abbensetts’ era-defining comedy from the Black Plays Archive Alterations, which illuminates the Guyanese experience of 1970s London and the aspirations and sacrifices of the Windrush generation. Refreshed with additional material by Trish Cooke, Alterations will receive its largest ever staging by director Lynette Linton, with initial casting that includes Arinzé Kene making his National Theatre debut and Cherrelle Skeete. Former Young Vic Artistic Director David Lan’s new play The Land of the Living will be directed by Stephen Daldry, with a cast that includes Juliet Stevenson, and tells the story of displaced children after World War II. End, a new play by David Eldridge – the concluding part of his trilogy of plays commissioned by Rufus during his tenure – will be directed by Lyric Hammersmith Artistic Director Rachel O’Riordan.
Two musicals will be staged at the National Theatre in 2025. Stephen Sondheim’s final musical Here We Are, with a book by Tony Award-nominee David Ives, makes its UK debut in a new production after its Off-Broadway premiere in 2023, directed by two-time Tony Award-winner Joe Mantello and with a cast including Tracie Bennett, Rory Kinnear and Denis O’Hare. Alongside this is the return of Alecky Blythe and Adam Cork’s innovative award-winning musical London Road, directed by Rufus Norris, which will also be captured for a future streaming release on National Theatre at Home. This season will also see the return of two epic state-of–the-nation plays, Dear England by James Graham, directed by Rupert Goold, telling the story of the England men’s football team under Gareth Southgate, with Graham updating his epic examination of nation and game to reflect Southgate’s final chapter as England Manager, and Nye, Tim Price’s celebrated Welsh fantasia which charts the life of Aneurin ‘Nye’ Bevan and his battle to create the NHS, directed by Rufus Norris.
