Helen McCrory, New Stoppard Play & More Set for Hytner’s Final National Theatre Season

London’s National Theatre has announced its plans for the 2014-15 season, which will be the final year for Nicholas Hytner before stepping down as Artistic Director. The lineup includes a revival of Euripides’s Medea with Helen McCrory in the title role, a new play by Tom Stoppard directed by Hytner and as previously announced, George Bernard Shaw’s Man and Superman starring Ralph Fiennes.

The first production of the season will be Medea, in a new version by Ben Power, directed by Carrie Cracknell, which will open in July at the Olivier Theatre. Headlined by McCrory, her extensive theater credits include Uncle Vanya at the Donmar Warehouse, an Olivier Award-winning turn as Rosalind in As You Like It and Henrik Ibsen’s Rosmersholm at the Almeida Theatre. She has appeared in films such as Hugo, Skyfall, and the Harry Potter series.

This will be followed by three new plays by Rona Munro: James I: The Key Will Keep The Lock; James II: Day Of The Innocents and James III: The True Mirror. Directed by Laurie Sansom, the productions will evoke three generations of Stewart Kings who ruled Scotland in the 15th century and play in the Olivier Theatre from September.

A new play from David Hare, Behind the Beautiful Forevers, adapted from the book by Katherine Boo and directed by incoming artistic director Rufus Norris, will open at the Olivier in November. The venue will play host to Robert Louis Stephenson's classic Treasure Island, adapted by Bryony Lavery and directed by Polly Findlay from December.

The new Stoppard play, currently untitled, will open at the Dorfman Theatre in January 2015 under Hytner's direction. Rules for Living, a new play by Sam Holcroft and directed by Marianne Elliott, will begin performances at the Dorfman in March.

The Lyttelton Theatre will host a new play by Richard Bean, directed by Hytner, this summer. Enda Walsh's Ballyturk will play in the venue in September, followed by Lloyd Newson's DV8 Physical Theatre with a new production, John, in October and in December a new play by Tena Stivicic, which will be directed by Howard Davies. Man and Superman, starring Fiennes, will subsequently open in the Lyttelton in February 2015.

In The Shed, David Henry Hwang's Yellow Face will open in May, directed by Alex Sims. It will be followed by a new play by Polly Stenham, Hotel, opening in June, directed by Maria Aberg.