The National Theatre has confirmed full details on their upcoming 2020 season, including dates, casting and new shows.

It’s been announced that Hugo Weaving (Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, Captain America: The First Avenger) will join the previously announced Lesley Manville in Tony Kushner’s (ANGELS IN AMERICA) new adaptation of Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s THE VISIT or THE OLD LADY COMES TO CALL.

Also appearing in the piece will be Jason Barnett, Sam Cox, Richard Durden, Sara Kestelman, Joseph Mydell, Tony Turner, Douglas Walker and Nicholas Woodeson.

THE VISIT will begin previews in the Olivier Theatre on 31st January 2020. The piece is directed by Jeremy Herrin with set design by Vicki Mortimer, costume design by Moritz Junge, lighting design by Paule Constable, composition by Paul Englishby, sound design by Paul Arditti and movement direction by Polly Bennett.

The NT has announced that Emma Rice (formerly of Kneehigh and Shakespeare’s Globe) will direct and adapt Emily Brontë’s WUTHERING HEIGHTS. Produced by Rice’s company Wise Children in association with York Theatre Royal, WUTHERING HEIGHTS will open in the Lyttelton Theatre in Autumn 2020 before touring the UK.

Casting has been announced for the world premiere of Lucy Kirkwood’s new play, THE WELKIN. Maxine Peake (HAMLET and HAPPY DAYS at the Royal Exchange), Cecilia Noble (FAITH, LOVE AND CHARITY, DOWNSTATE and NINE NIGHT at the NT) and Ria Zmitrowicz (THE DOCTOR and THREE SISTERS at Almeida Theatre) will all star in the new play. Directed by James Macdonald (JOHN, THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA) the play is set in 1759 Suffolk, as a woman is sentenced to hang.

The cast will also feature Nadia Albina, Natasha Cottriall, Aysha Kala, Wendy Kweh, Philip McGinley, Dawn Sievewright and Brigid Zengeni. The production features set and costume design by Bunny Christie, lighting design by Lee Curran, sound design by Carolyn Downing and fight direction by Rachel Bown-Williams and Ruth Cooper-Brown of Rc-Annie. THE WELKIN runs in the Lyttelton Theatre from 15th January.

Casting has also been announced for Inua Ellams’ (BARBER SHOP CHRONICLES) new adaptation of Chekhov’s THREE SISTERS.  The titular characters will be played by Sarah Niles, Natalie Simpson and Racheal Ofori, whilst the rest of the cast features Ronke Adekoluejo, Jonathan Ajayi, Jude Akuwudike, Tobi Bamtefa, Peter Bankolé, Anni Domingo, Lola May, Jerome Ngonadi, Ken Nwosu, Joseph Ogeleka, Nasa Ohalete, Offue Okegbe, Chloe Okora, Sule Rimi and Diana Yekinni.

Co-produced with Fuel, Ellams’ adaptation relocates the action from 1900 Russia to 1967 Nigeria, on the brink of the Biafran Civil War. The new version is directed Theatre Royal Stratford East’s Artistic Director Nadia Fall, and features set and costume design by Katrina Lindsay, lighting design by Peter Mumford, movement direction by Polly Bennett, composition by Femi Tomowo, sound design by Donato Wharton and music direction and vocal arrangements by Michael Henry. THREE SISTERS begins previews in the Lyttelton Theatre on 3rd December 2019.

Dates have been confirmed for the National Theatre return of THE SEVEN STREAMS OF THE RIVER OTA. Last seen in 1996, Robert Lepage’s seven-hour epic visits the NT as part of its world tour, running on the Lyttelton stage between 6th March and 22nd March 2020.

Lucy Briers, Crystal Condie and Kevin Hely will feature in the cast of Francesca Martinez’s debut play ALL OF US. Exploring life and love during a time of austerity, Martinez herself plays the lead role of Jess in this powerful, timely and characterful comedy-drama. ALL OF US will be directed by Ian Rickson, with set and costume design will be by Georgia Lowe, lighting design by Anna Watson, composition by Stephen Warbeck and sound design by Gregory Clarke. ALL OF US opens in the Dorfman Theatre in March 2020.

Further casting has been announced for the world premiere of Moria Buffini’s MANOR, opening in the Lyttelton Theatre in April 2020. House of Cards’ Ben Daniels joins the previously announced Nancy Carroll in Buffini’s new darkly-comic drama. Carroll and Daniels are joined by Amy Forrest (SMALL ISLAND) and Edward Judge (THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG) in the piece. MANOR is directed by Moria Buffini’s sister Fiona Buffini and features set and costume design by Lez Brotherston, lighting design by Paule Constable, composition and sound design by Jon Nicholls, fight direction by Kate Waters and video design by Andrzej Goulding.

As previously announced, Rafe Spall will star in Clint Dyer and Roy Williams’ new play DEATH OF ENGLAND. The premiere of this new one-man play asks explosive and enduring questions about identity, race and class in Britain. It runs in the Dorfman Theatre from 31st January to 7th March.

Finally, further casting has been announced for Joel Horwood’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s (Stardust, Coraline) novel, THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE.

Joining the previously announced Josie Walker and Samuel Blenkin will be Jade Croot, Fred Davis, Owain Gwynn, Pippa Nixon, Justin Salinger, Jeffrey Sangalang, Marli Siu and Jess Williams.

THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE will be directed by Katy Rudd, with set design by Fly Davis, costume and puppet design by Samuel Wyer, movement direction by Steven Hoggett, composition by Jherek Bischoff, lighting design by Paule Constable, sound design by Ian Dickinson, puppetry direction by Finn Caldwell and magic and illusions by Jamie Harrison. THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE runs in the Dorfman Theatre from 3rd December 2019 to 25th January 2020.

Tickets for THE VISIT, THE WELKIN, THE SEVEN STREAMS OF THE RIVER OTA and DEATH OF ENGLAND go on general sale on 11th October. Tickets details for the newly announced ALL OF US, MANOR and WUTHERING HEIGHTS will be revealed at a later date.