The Chichester Festival Theatre productions YOUNG CHEKHOV Olivier Theatre Previews from 14 July, press day 3 August, booking until 3 September with further performances to be announced.

The YOUNG CHEKHOV trilogy opened to overwhelming acclaim at Chichester Festival Theatre last year. The company now come to the National, offering a unique chance to explore the birth of a revolutionary dramatic voice. The production is directed by Jonathan Kent, with set designs by Tom Pye, costumes by Emma Ryott, lighting by Mark Henderson, music by Jonathan Dove, sound by Paul Groothuis and fight direction by Paul Benzing. Performed by one ensemble of actors, each play can be seen as a single performance over different days or as a thrilling all-day theatrical experience. Cast includes Emma Amos, Pip Carter, Anna Chancellor, Jonathan Coy, Mark Donald, Peter Egan, Col Farrell, Beverley Klein, Adrian Lukis, Des McAleer, James McArdle, Mark Penfold, Nina Sosanya, Geoffrey Streatfeild, Sarah Twomey, David Verrey, Olivia Vinall and Jade Williams.

David Hare has written over thirty original plays, including , , , (a co-production with Out of Joint), Amy’s View, , The Secret Rapture, , , , (written with Howard Brenton) and for the National Theatre. His other work includes (Chichester Festival Theatre and West End), (Hampstead and West End) and (Hampstead). His adaptations include Behind the Beautiful Forevers and The House of Bernarda Alba at the NT, (Donmar and Broadway) and The Master Builder (The Old Vic).

Jonathan Kent’s productions for the NT include Emperor and Galilean, Oedipus and The False Servant. Previous productions at Chichester Festival Theatre include (also West End) A Month in the Country, Sweeney Todd and (also West End). As joint artistic director, with Ian McDiarmid, of the for over ten years, his productions included , , Medea (also West End and Broadway), Richard II and Coriolanus (Almeida at Gainsborough Studios), Phèdre, Britannicus and Plenty (Almeida at the Albery Theatre) and Lulu, and King Lear (Almeida at King’s Cross). In 2008 he directed , and The Country Wife at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket.

Platonov Schoolteacher Mikhail Platonov has a problem – he’s irresistible to women. Set in the blazing heat of a rural summer, this freewheeling comedy is a cry of youthful defiance against the compromises of middle age. Previews from 14 July, press day 30 July. Ivanov Nikolai Ivanov is only 35, a radical and a romantic, but already he’s feeling that he’s thrown his life away. Determined not to become a small-town Hamlet, he hopes one last desperate romance may save him from a society rotten with anti-Semitism and drink. This electric play is powered both by hilarious satire and passionate self-disgust. Previews from 19 July, press day 30 July. On a summer’s day in a makeshift theatre by a lake, Konstantin’s cutting-edge new play is performed, changing the lives of everyone involved forever. Chekhov’s masterly meditation on how the old take revenge on the young is both comic and tragic, and marks the birth of the modern stage. Previews from 23 July, press day 3 August.

Contact: Mary Parker on 020 7452 3234 / [email protected]

Notes to Editors

1. Full cast and creative team – where possible 2. No of perf’s and when the run ends 3. Platform events related to the production 4. History of the production at the NT (if any…) 5. Signed Perfs 6. Workshops/study days etc

The National Theatre is dedicated to making the very best theatre and sharing it with as many people as possible. We produce productions on the South Bank in London each year, ranging from re-imagined classics to modern masterpieces and new work by contemporary writers and theatre-makers. The National’s work is seen on tour throughout the UK, in London’s West End, internationally (including on Broadway) and in collaborations and co- productions with regional theatres.

National Theatre Live, which broadcasts live performances to cinema screens internationally, is now celebrating its 7th year and has been experienced by over 5.5 million people worldwide in 200 countries. For more information, visit NTLive.com

The Clore Learning Centre at the NT is committed to providing programmes for schools, young people, families, community groups and adult learners. The nationwide youth theatre festival Connections and playwriting competition New Views engage thousands of young people around the country. Further, over 2,200 secondary schools have signed up to the free streaming service, On Demand in Schools since its launch in September 2015.

In 2015-2016 the NT:  Staged 34 productions and gave 3,057 performances in the UK and internationally.  Reached audiences of over 787,000 on the South Bank, and over 3.7 million worldwide (South Bank, West End, touring and NT Live).  Broadcast, via the NT Live programme, to nearly 1.5 million people around the world.  Engaged with over 189,000 participants through the NT Learning events programme. nationaltheatre.org.uk @nationaltheatre