19 July 2017

FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED AND TRAILER RELEASED FOR THE NATIONAL THEATRE’S TOUR OF IBSEN’S MASTERPIECE HEDDA GABLER A NEW VERSION BY PATRICK MARBER DIRECTED BY IVO VAN HOVE WITH LIZZY WATTS IN THE TITLE ROLE UK Tour October 2017 – March 2018

The National Theatre today announced full casting for the UK tour of Ibsen’s masterpiece HEDDA GABLER. Lizzy Watts plays the title role and will be joined by Madlena Nedeva (Berte), Christine Kavanagh (Juliana), Abhin Galeya (Tesman), Annabel Bates (Thea), Adam Best (Brack) and Richard Pyros (Lovborg). A new trailer has just been released featuring Lizzy Watts and can be seen here.

Following a sold-out run at the National Theatre earlier this year, HEDDA GABLER begins a UK tour on 2 October 2017 at the Theatre Royal Plymouth, continuing its journey across the UK to Edinburgh, Leicester, Salford, Norwich, Hull, Aberdeen, Northampton, Glasgow, Wolverhampton, Woking, Nottingham, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, York and Milton Keynes, where the tour finishes on 3 March 2018.

Just married. Bored already. Hedda longs to be free…

This vital new version of Ibsen’s masterpiece by Olivier and Tony Award®-winning playwright Patrick Marber (Closer, Three Days in the Country) is directed by Ivo van Hove, one of the world’s most exciting directors. Olivier and Tony Award®-winning van Hove made his National Theatre debut with Hedda Gabler, which opened in December 2016. His acclaimed production of A View from the Bridge recently played to sold out houses in London on Broadway and Obsession starring Jude Law played at The Barbican, London earlier this year. Van Hove’s next production for the NT will be the world premiere of Network based on the Oscar-winning film and featuring the UK stage debut of Bryan Cranston.

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Lizzy Watts’ theatre credits include Strife at Chichester Festival Theatre, The Angry Brigade and Artefacts at The Bush, A Midsummer Night's Dream at The Globe, Blink for Nabokov and Wasted for Paines Plough. TV includes The Durrells and Midsommer Murders and plays Ivy Layton in BBC Radio 4's Home Front.

Set and lighting design for Hedda Gabler is by Jan Versweyveld, with costume design by An D’Huys and sound by Tom Gibbons. The Associate Directors are Jeff James and Rachel Lincoln.

Patrick Marber said: ‘It has been a huge honour to work with the great Ivo van Hove on this version of Hedda Gabler at the National Theatre. I am thrilled that this tour will enable more people to see his incredible production.’

For further press information please contact Susie Newbery at National Theatre Productions, [email protected] or 020 7452 3155.

Hedda Gabler Tour

Theatre Royal Plymouth 2 - 7 Oct 2017 Festival Theatre Edinburgh 17 – 21 Oct 2017 Leicester Curve 23 – 28 Oct 2017 The Lowry Salford 31 Oct – 4 Nov 2017 Norwich Theatre Royal 7 – 11 Nov 2017 Hull New Theatre 13 - 18 Nov 2017 His Majesty’s Theatre Aberdeen 21 – 25 Nov 2017 Northampton Royal & Derngate 28 Nov – 2 Dec 2017 . Glasgow Theatre Royal 15 - 20 Jan 2018 Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton 23 – 27 Jan 2018 New Victoria, Woking 29 Jan – 3 Feb 2018 Nottingham Theatre Royal 5 – 10 Feb 2018 Newcastle Theatre Royal 13 – 17 Feb 2018 Grand Opera House, York 20 – 24 Feb 2018 Milton Keynes Theatre 27 Feb – 3 Mar 2018

Please check with individual theatres for box office information

Notes to Editors:

 Photographs of Lizzy Watts, cast members and the poster image for Hedda Gabler can be found here 2

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/88v4gkx3bjseiew/AACxP9UwFFlzuuexh1rATkRea?dl=0

 Cast biographies can be seen here

 About the National Theatre

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 reimagined 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 6 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 2,600 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 6 million people around the world.  Engaged with over 189,000 participants through the NT Learning events programme.

Current and upcoming tours from the National Theatre include: My Country; a work in progress on a UK tour until July 2017. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Jane Eyre touring the UK until September 2017; War Horse begins a second UK tour in September 2017 and Hedda Gabler begins a UK tour in October 2017.

nationaltheatre.org.uk

@nationaltheatre

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