London's National Theatre Announces Reopening with Works from Jack Thorne & Dylan Thomas

London's National Theatre has announced plans to reopen in June, welcoming audiences back for the first time since closing in December when surging COVID-19 cases shut theaters down. The Dorfman Theatre will reopen on June 2 for the first time since February 2020 with the previously announced production of After Life by Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Tony and Olivier winner Jack Thorne. The Olivier Theatre will reopen on June 16 with Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas. Both shows will run through July 24 with socially-distanced seating. The Dorfman Theatre will have a capacity of 120 while the Olivier Theatre will have a capacity of approximately 500.

Directed by Jeremy Herrin and based on the film by Hirokazu Kore-eda, with concept by Bunny Christie, Herrin and Thorne, After Life is a surreal and powerfully human look at the way we live our lives, asking who you would choose to live with for eternity. The cast includes Olatunji Ayofe, Danielle Henry, Maddie Holliday, Togo Igawa, Anoushka Lucas, Kevin McMonagle, Simon Startin, Luke Thallon, June Watson and Millicent Wong. The show features set and costume design by Christie, lighting design by Neil Austin, movement direction by Shelley Maxwell, video design by Max Spielbichler and sound design by Tom Gibbons.

Directed by National Theatre Associate Lyndsey Turner, this telling of Under Milk Wood includes additional material by Siân Owen. Four-time Olivier Award nominee Michael Sheen leads the company, which features Susan Brown, Ifan Huw Dafydd, Alan David, Michael Elwyn, Kezrena James, Karl Johnson, Gaynor Morgan Rees, Anthony O'Donnell, Siân Phillips and Cleo Sylvestre. The show features set and costume design by Merle Hensel, lighting design by Tim Lutkin, movement by Imogen Knight, songs composed by Edward-Rhys Harry as well as sound design and additional compositions by Donato Wharton. A show about the dreams of townspeople, Under Milk Wood will be performed in the round in the transformed Olivier Theatre, which will remain in this configuration for further productions until early 2022.

“It’s been an incredibly difficult year for theater, but I’m delighted to be able to confirm our reopening plans today and to be sharing the news of our first two productions that will reopen the National Theatre in June," said National Theatre Director Rufus Norris in a statement. "Sharing our work online and on television over the last year has enabled us to reach millions of people and continue to keep culture alive, but the magic of live theater is what we can now begin to look towards: to creating work with our freelance artists and colleagues, to supporting young people’s creativity and to bringing joy to audiences and communities through imaginative and inspiring live performance.”

Details about the previously announced productions of The Normal Heart and Death of England: Delroy will be announced at a later date.