@nationaltheatre

Six months in the life of our locked-down theatre: it's been a pretty emotional time - to say the least.⠀ ⠀ The New York Times captured a series of perspectives from staff working across staging plays, keeping the building safe and making decisions for the future.⠀ ⠀ You can read their stories on the New York Times online.⠀ ⠀ Rufus Norris (Director), Roy Williams (Playwright), Kirsten Shiell (Props Supervisor), Georgia Lowe (Set and Costume Designer), Collen Heskey (Security Manager), Katherine Hearst (Usher), Bryony Jarvis-Taylor (Casting Associate),and Kieron Lillis (Facilities Manager).⠀ ⠀ 📷 Lauren Fleishman/New York Times

Crushing on 'whip-smart, opinionated, funny' (Vogue) Cush Jumbo ❤️⠀ ⠀ @cushjumbohere's breakthrough was writing and starring in one-person show Josephine & I @bushtheatre - it was about 1920s jazz star Josephine Baker and transferred to Off-Broadway. ⠀ ⠀ She's appeared on the National Theatre stages in She Stoops To Conquer and Common, as well as writing a play for our youth festival, Connections. ⠀ ⠀ You may recognise Cush as attorney Lucca Quinn in the final series of The Good Wife, and spin-off The Good Fight, her final series of which was cut short by the pandemic. ⠀ ⠀ Cush was also due to play Hamlet before it was postponed due to coronavirus. The @youngvictheatre is committed to staging it still - we can't wait to see it when that's possible.⠀ ⠀ 📷 Credits:⠀ She Stoops To Conquer (1) and Common (2) Johan Persson/National Theatre⠀ Josephine and I (3, 4) Simon Kane/Bush Theatre⠀ The Good Fight (5) CBS

A brutalist kind of Autumn 🍁⠀ ⠀ 📷 Cameron Slater

♪ Good times and bum times, I've seen them all. And, my dear, I'm still here. ♪⠀ ⠀ Tracie Bennett at the 2018 Oliviers performing 'I'm Still Here' from Follies, which won Best Musical Revival.⠀ ⠀ The Follies cast recording is available from the @NTBookshop.

Grief. Anger. Hope. This is Delroy's 2020.⠀ ⠀ We're with Death of England: Delroy in under two weeks 🙌

'Nothing's ever the same, be it a second later or a hundred years. It's always churning and roiling. And people change as much as oceans.' - Old Mrs Hempstock ⠀ ⠀ Tickets for the very magical world @oceanwestend are available to members from today and open to everyone from Monday 19 October. ⠀ ⠀

A first look inside the Death of England: Delroy rehearsal room to celebrate some the incredible people that are helping to bring live performances back to the National Theatre.⠀ ⠀ The Actor: Michael Balogun ⠀ The Director and Co-Writer: Clint Dyer ⠀ The Set and Costume Designers: Sadeysa Greenaway-Bailey and ULTZ ⠀ The Lighting Designer: Jackie Shemesh⠀ The Co-Sound Designer: Pete Malkin⠀ The Staff Director: Sian Ejiwunmi-Le Berre ⠀ The Stage Managers: Ben Donoghue and Ian Farmery The Assistant Designer: Shankho Chaudhuri ⠀ ⠀ Thank you to Cameron Slater for the beautiful photography.

Joey is galloping back to us from his travels.⠀ ⠀ The unforgettable production tells the story of young Albert, whose beloved horse is sold to the Cavalry in WWI.⠀ ⠀ War Horse is in UK cinemas from 11 Nov and international venues from 24 Feb with National Theatre Live.⠀ ⠀ Where have you seen the show? Let us know in the comments.

We’re very sorry to announce that Giles Terera will no longer be performing in Death of England: Delroy following emergency surgery.⠀ ⠀ Sending Giles all the very best wishes for his recovery and the hugest of thanks for his hard work on the show.⠀ ⠀ We’re pleased that Michael Balogun, who has been understudying the role, will now play Delroy.⠀ ⠀ His previous work for us includes: Macbeth, and the UK tours of Barber Shop Chronicles and People, Places & Things. 📷 Cameron Slater

'Autumnal -- nothing to do with leaves. It is to do with a certain brownness at the edges of the day.' 🍁 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Tom Stoppard 📷 Cameron Slater

✨ Just here to tell you a little bit about Aimee Lou Wood's glittering career ✨ ⠀ ⠀ Alongside @aimeelouwood's rise to stardom in Sex Education, she appeared in Downstate at the National Theatre and Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Bruce Norris' play asked difficult questions about whether we can have sympathy for child abusers.⠀ ⠀ She's become known as a feminist icon for her portrayal of Aimee (yes, same name) in Sex Education, with perhaps one of the only female masturbation montages on the small screen and a second series arc that sensitively portrayed the trauma of sexual assault.⠀ ⠀ Sticking with the theme of tricky topics, this time addiction, she played Laura in Headlong's production of People, Places and Things on tour, after its run at the National Theatre and in the West End.⠀ ⠀ Most recently, she appeared with Richard Armitage in the West End prouduction of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya.⠀ ⠀ 📷 Credits:⠀ People, Places and Things (1, 4, 5, 6) Johan Persson/Headlong⠀ Downstate Rehearsals (2) Joel Moorman/National Theatre⠀ Downstate (3) Michael Brosilow/National Theatre⠀ Sex Education (7) John Hall/Netflix⠀ Uncle Vanya (8, 9) Johan Persson/Sonia Friedman Productions

Tickets are now on sale for our reopening show Death of England: Delroy. 🙌⠀ ⠀ Join us for the return of live performances in the Olivier from 21 October.⠀ ⠀ We can’t wait to welcome you back safely. 📷 Helen Murray