National Theatre revives ”The Effect” and announces casting for ”The Father and the Assassin”

Lucy Prebble’s acclaimed play The Effect will return to National Theatre later this year in a new production directed by Jamie Lloyd. It will play in the Lyttelton theatre from 1 August, in a co-production with The Jamie Lloyd Company.

The play, which premiered at the NT in 2012, centres on two volunteers that take part in a commercial scheme to investigate the causes of depression. Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You) will play Tristan opposite Taylor Russell (Bones and All) as Connie, with further casting to be announced.

The set and costume designer is Soutra Gilmour, lighting designer Jon Clark, composer Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante, sound designer George Dennis, movement directors Sarah Golding and Yukiko Masui (SAY), fight director Kate Waters, intimacy co-ordinator Ingrid Mackinnon and casting director Alastair Coomer CDG.

Also announced today is casting for the revival of The Father and the Assassin by Anupama Chandrasekhar, which will play in the Olivier theatre from 8 September, directed by Indhu Rubasingham.

Olivier Award-winner Hiran Abeysekera (Life of Pi) will play Nathuram Godse, with Paul Bazely reprising his role as Mahatma Gandhi. The cast also includes Azan Ahmed, Ravi Aujla, Ayesha Dharker, Ravin J Ganatra, Raj Ghatak, Halema Hussain, Nadeem Islam, Tony Jayawardena, Nicholas Khan, Raj Khera, Hari Mackinnon, Sid Sagar and Akshay Shah.

The creative team also includes set and costume designer Rajha Shakiry, lighting designer Oliver Fenwick, movement director Lucy Cullingford, composer Siddhartha Khosla, with additional music by David Shrubsole, sound designer Alexander Caplen, fight directors Rachel Bown-Williams and Ruth Cooper-Brown of Rc-Annie Ltd, casting director Alastair Coomer CDG and associate set and costume designer Khadija Raza.

Also announced today is a new musical based on Roald Dahl’s The Witches, in a co-production with the Roald Dahl Story Company. Tickets for all three productions go on sale to the public on Thursday 27 April.

Rufus Norris, director of the National Theatre, said: “To have Jamie Lloyd returning to the National Theatre with his production of Lucy Prebble’s The Effect – a timelessly prescient play from this singular writer – is a particular joy, not least because of the two wonderful lead actors Paapa Essiedu and Taylor Russell.

“It’s also a great delight to welcome Hiran Abeysekera back to the NT for the first time since Behind the Beautiful Forevers, to lead a brilliant company in Indhu Rubasingham’s revival of Anupama Chandrasekhar’s hit play The Father and the Assassin.”

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