Theatre News

John Boyega to star in new Old Vic season

Casting for ”King Lear” and ”Woyzeck” has been announced

John Boyega
John Boyega

Star Wars actor John Boyega will star in a new production of Woyzeck.

Boyega will feature in Matthew Warchus's 2016-2017 season. In the same season, Oscar winning actress Glenda Jackson will star in King Lear, there will be a new children's show created by Mark Arends, Lisa Dwan will star in No's Knife and there will be several revival productions including Art and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.

The Attack the Block star Boyega will appear in Jack Thorne's new version of Georg Buchner's play Woyzeck which will be directed by Joe Murphy. The show runs from 7 March – 15 April 2017.

Jackson will return to the stage as Shakespeare's tragic character, directed by Deborah Warner. Jane Horrocks, Rhys Ifans, Simon Manyonda and Harry Melling are all part of the cast. King Lear runs from 4 November to 3 December 2016.

The world premiere of Samuel Beckett's No's Knife will also be performed by hailed Irish actress Dwan who recently starred in lauded productions of Not I/Footfalls/Rockaby, also by Beckett.

Warchus will direct Yasmina Reza's seminal work Art in a 20th anniversary production, translated by Christopher Hampton. Art runs 4 January to 18 February.

Next year will also see a 50th anniversary production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard, while The Lorax, written by David Greig, will return.

There will also be a world premiere of Ingmar Bergman's film Fanny and Alexander and a new version of Gilbert and Sullivan's HMS Pinafore, directed by Christopher Luscombe.

Mark Arends kicks of a new string of children's programming at the theatre with Missing Light, a puppetry show in 2017.

Artistic director Warchus said: "With my second season, we continue our mission to be a leading creative hub in the capital, and further afield, radiating an energising and unintimidating spirit, as we celebrate the best of what theatre can be."