National Theatre announces new season of shows with Emma D’Arcy, David Oyelowo, Meera Syal and more

The National Theatre has added to its line-up for autumn 2024.

Tanika Gupta’s new play A Tupperware of Ashes will have its world premiere in the Dorfman theatre from 25 September, with Meera Syal leading the cast and Pooja Ghai directing. The family drama explores themes of life, immigration, and the Indian spiritual cycle of death and rebirth. Following the performances of A Tupperware of Ashes, the Dorfman theatre will close temporarily – read the news here.

The cast includes Raj Bajaj, Natalie Dew, Marc Elliott, Stephen Fewell, Shobna Gulati, Avita Jay and Zubin Varla. Ghai is joined on the creative team by set and costume designer Rosa Maggiora, lighting designer Matt Haskins, composer Nitin Sawhney, sound designer Elena Peña, illusions director and designer John Bulleid, movement director Anjali Mehra, fight and intimacy directors Rachel Bown-Williams and Ruth Cooper-Brown for Rc-Annie Ltd, casting director Naomi Downham and staff director Layla Madanat.

In addition, Alexander Zeldin presents The Other Place in the Lyttelton theatre from 27 September – a new play inspired by Antigone, featuring a cast including Emma D’Arcy, Lee Braithwaite, Tobias Menzies, and Nina Sosanya. This production delves into complex family dynamics, guilt, grief, and the quest for justice.

Set and costume design is by Rosanna Vize and lighting design by James Farncombe, with composer Yannis Philippakis, sound designer Josh Anio Grigg, movement director Marcin Rudy, casting director Alastair Coomer CDG, voice coach Cathleen McCarron and staff director Sammy Glover.

David Oyelowo makes his highly anticipated National Theatre debut in Lyndsey Turner’s rendition of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus, set to grace the Olivier theatre from 11 September. Oyelowo leads a cast including Luke Aquilina, Anushka Chakravarti, Anton Cross, Patrick Elue, Peter Forbes, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Conor McLeod, Jordan Metcalfe, Richard Pryal, Jordan Rhys, Stephanie Street and John Vernon, with further casting to be announced.

The creative team includes set designer Es Devlin, costume designer Annemarie Woods, lighting designer Tim Lutkin, sound designer Tom Gibbons, composer Angus MacRae, video designer Ash J Woodward, fight director Sam Lyon-Behan, casting by Bryony Jarvis-Taylor, voice coaches Cathleen McCarron and Shereen Ibrahim and staff director Júlia Levai.

The National Theatre has also unveiled full casting for Katori Hall’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy The Hot Wing King and Frank Galati’s award-winning adaptation of John Steinbeck’s masterpiece The Grapes of Wrath – we’ll be revealing these shortly.

Additionally, the National Theatre has announced Public Record, a new Public Acts production in collaboration with Sunderland Culture and Sunderland Empire. Applications are also now open for young people nationwide to participate in the 30th anniversary of National Theatre Connections, offering aspiring theatre-makers a unique opportunity to engage with the National Theatre’s major programme.