Nuffield Southampton Theatres spring 2020 season announced

Nuffield Southampton Theatres has today announced its spring 2020 season, with co-productions including The War of the Worlds, Wuthering Heights and Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of).

In April 2020, the NST Campus will close in order to undergo a major refurbishment as part of the University of Southampton's wider renovation of the Highfield Campus. The theatre will continue to present a full programme of produced and touring work at their city centre venue, NST City.

The five-star production of Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) – presented by Tron Theatre Company and Blood of the Young – will play at the NST City theatre from 17 March to 4 April, with a press night on 17 March. The new musical is an all-female adaptation of Jane Austen's literary classic Pride and Prejudice. Paul Brotherton directs the show as part of its UK tour, with design by Ana Inés Jabares-Pita.

Rhum and Clay will bring The War of the Worlds to the NST City theatre from 15 to 25 April, with a press night on 17 April. Inspired by HG Wells' novel and Orson Welles' classic radio play, the company and Isley Lynn reimagine the science fiction thriller for the modern era of fake news and alternative facts. The production premiered at the New Diorama Theatre in January 2019 before playing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in the summer. The show is directed by Hamish McDougall and Julian Spooner, with design by Bethany Wells.

Inspector Sands will present Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights – conceived by Lucinka Eisler and Ben Lewis – at the NST City theatre from 11 to 23 May, with a press night on 14 May. A co-production with Royal and Derngate and China Plate, the company presents the classic story of obsessive love and revenge in a new updated version. Lewis' script will be directed by Eisler.

Director of Nuffield Southampton Theatres, Sam Hodges, said: "This is a season of radical new versions of much-loved texts with Blood of the Young's hilarious and moving Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of), Rhum and Clay's thrilling, shape-shifting The War of the Worlds and Inspector Sands' sensory Wuthering Heights. In each adaptation, these fiercely talented theatre-makers are telling the story from a new perspective, and by doing so, making them funnier, more relevant, and more gripping – exactly what theatre should be."