What’s On At The National Theatre This Year?
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51 minutes ago
A guide to the 2026 programme
A British institution since it was founded by Laurence Olivier in 1963, The National Theatre is a brutalist marvel on London’s South Bank home to three auditoriums – and hey are always showing something fantastic. On the 2026 programme, productions range from Greek tragedy and classic satire to major revivals, with new writing and international transfers sitting side by side. The year includes appearances from Cate Blanchett, Letitia Wright, Sandra Oh, Lesley Manville and Francesca Mills, alongside plenty of new stars to boot.
As always, alongside the returning productions and high profile adaptations, the National Theatre’s 2026 programme showcases the theatre’s continued emphasis on new writing, touring and digital access, with productions set to continue beyond the South Bank through cinema releases, streaming and transfers. The National’s director and co-chief exec Indhu Rubasingham tells us she ‘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,’ Rubasingham adds. ‘It’s a privilege to stage work that theatrically explodes, surprises and challenges us to see the world anew.’
Here’s what to expect (and book) in 2026.
The Authenticator
After the stonking success of Rockets and Blue Lights, writer Winsome Pinnock and director Miranda Cromwell reunite with The Authenticator, a gripping gothic psychological thriller set in the ghostly Harford Hall, where all is even darker than you could have imagined from an inherited manor house… Rakie Ayola, Sylvestra Le Touzel and Cherrelle Skeete make up the intimate cast of this Dorfman performance. Until 9 May.
Les Liasons Dangereuses
Lesley Manville and Aidan Turner kicked off the 2026 season in style with Les Liaisons Dangereuses, directed by Marianne Elliott. It’s a new staging of Christopher Hampton’s adaptation of Choderlos de Laclos’ classic novel, bringing love, lies and social warfare to the modern stage. Until 6 June.
Pride
Here’s one that’s not to be missed: a new musical adaptation of the beloved film Pride, penned by the director and writer of the original film, Matthew Warchus and Stephen Beresford. They have teamed up with composers Christopher Nightingale, Josh Cohen and DJ Walde to transform their true-to-life tale about LGBTQ communities coming together to support the miners strike in 1984 Wales into a toe-tapping musical. 11 June–12 September 2026.
War Horse
War Horse returns to the Olivier theatre ahead of its 20th anniversary in 2027. Based on Michael Morpurgo’s novel and adapted by Nick Stafford, the production comes back to its original home on the South Bank following a recent UK and Ireland tour. Since its premiere in 2007, it’s become one of the National Theatre’s most successful original productions. 16 May–30 July 2026
The Misanthrope
Martin Crimp’s new adaptation of Molière’s social satire opens in the Lyttelton in June. Directed by Indhu Rubasingham, the production stars Sandra Oh and Paul Chahidi, with Crimp’s contemporary verse version reworking the seventeenth-century comedy for a modern audience. 16 June–1 August 2026
The Story
Tracey Scott Wilson’s newsroom thriller The Story will be revived in the Olivier, directed by Clint Dyer. Letitia Wright leads the cast, joined by Aliyah Odoffin, Wilf Scolding, Ashley Thomas and Lorraine Toussaint in a play that examines race, power and media ethics inside a New York newsroom. 27 August–24 October 2026
Catarina and the Beauty of Killing Fascists
The National Theatre will stage the UK premiere of Tiago Rodrigues’ politically charged Catarina and the Beauty of Killing Fascists in the Dorfman for a limited one-week run, performed in Portuguese with English subtitles. 19–26 September 2026; tickets on sale in spring/summer 2026.
The Rise and Fall of Little Voice
Jim Cartwright’s The Rise and Fall of Little Voice returns to the National Theatre for the first time since its ‘92 premiere in the Cottesloe. Francesca Mills reprises the title role in a new production directed by Robert Hastie, before the show goes on a nationwide tour. December 2026; tickets on sale in spring/summer 2026.
Electra / Persona
Cate Blanchett, Nina Hoss and Ella Lily Hyland will star in Benedict Andrews’ new production Electra / Persona in the Lyttelton. The piece combines Sophocles’ Electra with Ingmar Bergman’s film Persona, with music by Hildur Guðnadóttir in Andrews’ National Theatre debut. Dates TBA; tickets on sale in spring/summer 2026.
Some Woman
The world premiere of Some Woman marks Helen Edmundson’s return to the National Theatre with her first original play since Queen Anne 10 years ago. Further details, including casting, are still to be announced. Dates TBA; tickets on sale in spring/summer 2026.
Samira
Carmen Nasr’s Samira, directed by Emily Burns, will mark Nasr’s National Theatre debut. Inspired by true events and set during the Arab Spring, the play follows the disappearance of a young Syrian blogger. Dates TBA; tickets on sale in spring/summer 2026.
Where & When
The National Theatre is located on London’s South Bank, SE1, beside the River Thames and the Southbank Centre. Performances run throughout the year across its three main auditoriums, the Olivier, the Lyttelton and the Dorfman.
How To Get Tickets
Tickets are sold in waves via the National Theatre, with priority booking available to members ahead of general sale.
1 Hotel Mayfair
Where To Stay Nearby
London is a hotel haven, and there are plenty of cocooning spots a stone’s throw from the South Bank. Just across Waterloo Bridge, One Aldwych is the certified gateway to theatreland, housed in a beautiful heritage building and home to soothing bedrooms and suites with sweeping city views.
Hidden in Soho, Hazlitt’s is fittingly theatrical, set across three adjoining Georgian townhouses with a fourth building at the rear. A favourite among authors, expect bookshelves heaving with signed tomes from former guests, including Bill Bryson, Ted Hughes and Seamus Heaney.
Slightly further afield – and deeper into London’s glamorous district, Mayfair – 1 Hotel Mayfair is the ideal stay to blend theatre with shopping in verdant surroundings.
