The National Theatre has unveiled its full programme for 2026, featuring a wealth of new productions, returning favourites and international transfers, led by performers including Cate Blanchett, Sandra Oh, Letitia Wright, Nina Hoss, Francesca Mills and Lesley Manville.
The season continues the organisation’s ambition to expand its local, national and global reach, with two New York transfers, two national tours and an increased commitment to digital releases through National Theatre Live and National Theatre at Home.
Sandra Oh makes her National Theatre debut in a refreshed adaptation of Molière’s biting social satire The Misanthrope, directed by Indhu Rubasingham and adapted by Martin Crimp.
Oh will perform alongside Paul Chahidi and Abigail Cruttenden in the Lyttelton Theatre from June, with the production written in contemporary verse and reimagining Alceste for the modern world.
Indhu Rubasingham, Director and Co-Chief Executive of the National Theatre, said: “I can’t wait to dive into this year with an extraordinary group of emerging and world-renowned artists coming to the National Theatre, many for the first time. From bold new voices to international collaborators, this is a year that celebrates the full breadth of talent on our stages and behind the scenes. It’s a privilege to stage work that theatrically explodes, surprises and challenges us to see the world anew. Bringing this range of exhilarating productions to audiences in the UK and around the globe is what the National Theatre is all about.”
In August, Cate Blanchett reunites with Nina Hoss following their acclaimed collaboration in Tár, starring alongside Ella Lily Hyland in Electra / Persona, directed by Benedict Andrews.
The new production fuses Sophocles’ ancient myth with Ingmar Bergman’s celebrated film Persona, with original music by Hildur Guðnadóttir, and will play the Lyttelton Theatre.
Letitia Wright leads Tracey Scott Wilson’s newsroom thriller The Story, directed by Clint Dyer, with Aliyah Odoffin, Wilf Scolding, Ashley Thomas and Lorraine Toussaint also starring.
The revival begins previews on the Olivier stage in August, with further casting to be announced.
The global phenomenon War Horse returns home to the Olivier Theatre from May, following an acclaimed UK and Ireland tour and ahead of its 20th anniversary in 2027.
Based on Michael Morpurgo’s novel and adapted by Nick Stafford, the production is directed by Tom Morris with revival director Katie Henry, featuring the original ground-breaking puppetry by Handspring Puppet Company.
Francesca Mills stars in a new production of Jim Cartwright’s The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, directed by Robert Hastie, which will open in the Dorfman Theatre in December before embarking on a nationwide tour.
The Dorfman will also host the UK premiere of Tiago Rodrigues’ Catarina and the Beauty of Killing Fascists for a limited one‑week run in September, performed in Portuguese with English surtitles.
Later in the year, the venue will present the world premiere of Some Woman, Helen Edmundson’s first original play since Queen Anne in 2015, marking her return to the National Theatre.
Kate Varah, Executive Director and Co-Chief Executive of the National Theatre, said: “Our 2026 season is about sharing stories locally, nationally and globally. In a new commitment to take productions straight from our stages to partner theatres across the country, we will undertake a major nationwide tour of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice starring the captivating Francesca Mills. As we gear up to celebrate 60 years of working in the US next year, I’m thrilled we are transferring two vital and resonant pieces of theatre to New York – Robert Hastie’s Hamlet and Alexander Zeldin’s The Other Place, with more shows in the pipeline. We are so proud to be sharing with audiences in New York a range of impactful stories showcasing the best of British theatre. In this way, along with our growing digital footprint, we are opening doors in the UK and around the world like never before.”
Tickets for The Misanthrope, War Horse and The Story go on general sale at 10am GMT on Thursday 12 February.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
