Jodie Whittaker makes National Theatre debut in Antigone
Rising star Jodie Whittaker will make her National Theatre debut when she plays the title role in Polly Findlay’s forthcoming revival of Antigone, which opens in the NT Olivier on 30 May (previews from 23 May).
Her theatre work includes Awake and Sing! and Enemies (Almeida), The Storm (Globe) and Bash (Trafalgar Studios).
In Sophocles’ classic Greek tragedy, the laws of the gods and the laws of humans are pitted against one another. War has destroyed Antigone’s world – her brothers lie dead on the battlefield while Creon her uncle has seized the throne. Alone, she stands against Creon’s tyranny, risking her life to bury her allegedly traitorous brother.
Polly Findlay directed DC Moore’s The Swan and Prasanna Puwanarajah’s Nightwatchman for Double Feature in the NT’s Paintframe in 2011. She was the winner of the JMK Award for Young Directors, and the recipient of the 2006/07 Bulldog Prinsep Bursary at the NT Studio.
In other National Theatre news:
when it transfers to the Theatre Royal Haymarket from 2 March. Joining
the previously announced Owain Arthur (Francis Henshall), Martin Barrass
(Alfie), David Benson (Gareth), Nigel Betts (Harry), Derek Elroy
(Lloyd), Gerard Horan (Charlie), Daniel Ings (Alan), Ben Mansfield
(Stanley), Jodie Prenger (Dolly), Hannah Spearritt (Pauline) and Gemma
Whelan (Rachel) are: Robin Berry, Gillian Budd, Andrew Dennis, Laura
Matthews, Richard Shanks and Matthew Woodyatt.
which opens in the Cottesloe on 14 March directed by Michael Buffong,
is: Jude Akuwudike, Jade Anouka, Ray Emmet Brown, Burt Caesar, Trevor
Michael Georges, Jenny Jules, Martina Laird, Joshua McCord, Danny
Sapani, Tahirah Sharif and Lloyd Thomas.