The National Theatre has announced further details of its 2026 season, with Deputy Artistic Director Robert Hastie set to direct Summerfolk in the Olivier theatre and oversee the transfer of Hamlet to New York’s Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM).
Summerfolk, Maxim Gorky’s razor-sharp portrayal of class, privilege and denial, will be revived in a new version by Nina Raine and Moses Raine. The production opens in March 2026 and marks Hastie’s return to the Olivier following Standing at the Sky’s Edge.
Meanwhile, Hastie’s critically acclaimed production of Hamlet, starring Hiran Abeysekera, will transfer to BAM in spring 2026. The move marks the beginning of a multi-year partnership between the National Theatre and BAM.
The partnership will also include screenings of National Theatre Live productions at BAM’s Rose Cinemas and educational outreach through BAM’s (Re) Centering Theater programme, which will culminate in student performances inspired by Hamlet.
Audiences will be able to explore the legacy of Hamlet through a free exhibition at BAM’s Rudin Family Gallery, in collaboration with the National Theatre.
Indhu Rubasingham, Director and Co-Chief Executive of the National Theatre, said:
“As we mark 60 years of staging productions in the US, it’s deeply fitting to bring Hamlet to BAM next spring, a play with such profound and lasting legacy, especially here at the National Theatre. I can’t wait to share Robert Hastie’s bold and brilliant production and Hiran Abeysekera’s extraordinary performance with audiences in New York.
Back on these shores, Robert directs a new version of Gorky’s Summerfolk, reimagined by Nina Raine and Moses Raine, opening in the Olivier in March. Both Hamlet and Summerfolk query how we live honestly in a world that’s shifting beneath our feet and the work we announce today embodies the Next Chapter of the NT – connecting our stories with global audiences and continuing to ask difficult questions through ambitious theatre.”
Kate Varah, Executive Director and Co-Chief Executive of the National Theatre, added:
“At the National Theatre, our vision is bold: to make world-class theatre accessible to everyone, everywhere. As we celebrate 60 years of staging in the US, we are forging new paths with multi-year collaborations at BAM and The Shed – two iconic creative powerhouses in New York City. We recently announced a groundbreaking partnership with the Educational Theatre Association that will deliver the National Theatre Collection, free of charge, to 5,000 US schools in all 50 states, inspiring the next generation of theatre-makers across the Atlantic. These exciting projects alongside cinema broadcasts via National Theatre Live and National Theatre at Home streaming directly into American homes, means our productions will reach audiences across the US like never before.”
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
