22 March 2016 SUNSET AT THE VILLA THALIA Dorfman Theatre Previews from 25 May, press night 1 June, final performance 4 August Alexi Kaye Campbell’s new play, SUNSET AT THE VILLA THALIA, directed by Simon Godwin, premieres at the Dorfman Theatre from 25 May, with press night 1 June. The show will feature design by Hildegard Bechtler, lighting design by Natasha Chivers, music by Michael Bruce, movement by Jonathan Goddard and sound design by Tom Gibbons. The cast includes Christos Callow, Sam Crane, Glykeria Dimou, Elizabeth McGovern, Ben Miles, Pippa Nixon and Eve Polycarpou. April 1967: Greece is in political turmoil. Charlotte and Theo have retreated to a small island in search of peace and inspiration. But when they meet a charismatic American couple at the port they are seduced into making choices with devastating consequences. This funny and passionate new play by Alexi Kaye Campbell spans a decade as it explores the impact of foreign influence, planned and unintentional, on a nation and its people. Sam Crane’s previous theatre credits include Dissonant (National Theatre), Farinelli in Farinelli and the King (Shakespeare’s Globe/ West End) and Headlong’s 1984 (Playhouse Theatre/ West End). His television credits include Fred Walters in Desperate Romantics and Call The Midwife (BBC). Elizabeth McGovern is perhaps best known for her role as Cora Crawley in Downton Abbey, for which she has been nominated for an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Her film credits include Ordinary People and Ragtime, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her most recent theatre credits in the UK include The Shawl (Arcola), Complicit (The Old Vic) and Aristo (Chichester Festival Theatre). Ben Miles was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance of Thomas Cromwell in Wolf Hall and Bringing Up the Bodies (RSC/ West End/ Broadway). Other recent theatre credits include Love Love Love (Royal Court), Measure for Measure (Almeida Theatre) and The Norman Conquests (The Old Vic/ Broadway). His television and film credits include The Woman in Gold, The Crown (Netflix) and The Hollow Crown (BBC). Pippa Nixon has worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company (most recent credits include The Tempest, As You Like It, Hamlet and King John) and Shakespeare’s Globe (most recently A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Timon of Athens and Merchant of Venice, for which Pippa was nominated for an Ian Charleson Award). Her television credits include Cuffs (BBC) and Unforgotten (ITV). Alexi Kaye Campbell’s other plays include The Pride, Apologia, The Faith Machine and Bracken Moor. His first film script, Woman in Gold, was produced by BBC Films and The Weinstein Company in 2015, directed by Simon Curtis and starred Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds. For the NT, Simon Godwin has directed Strange Interlude, Les Beaux’ Stratagem and Man and Superman. He is an Associate Director of the Royal Court, where his productions include Routes, NSFW, The Witness, Goodbye to All That, The Acid Test, and Wanderlust. He is currently directing Hamlet for the RSC, where his previous work includes Two Gentlemen of Verona. His work elsewhere includes Richard II for Shakespeare’s Globe and for Bristol Old Vic, where he is an Associate Artist, The Little Mermaid, Krapp’s Last Tape/A Kind Of Alaska, The Faith Healer and Far Away. The Dorfman Partner is Neptune Investment Management. Press night: Wednesday 1 June, 7pm ENDS Press contact: Emma Hardy on 020 7452 3231 / [email protected] Notes to Editors 1. Sunset at the Villa Thalia is written by Alexi Kaye Campbell and directed by Simon Godwin. The show will feature design by Hildegard Bechtler, lighting design by Natasha Chivers, music by Michael Bruce, movement by Jonathan Goddard and sound design by Tom Gibbons. The cast includes Christos Callow, Sam Crane, Glykeria Dimou, Elizabeth McGovern, Ben Miles, Pippa Nixon and Eve Polycarpou. 2. The production will run for 55 performances between 25 May and 4 August. 3. The Platform event ‘Simon Godwin and Alexi Kaye Campbell on Sunset at the Villa Thalia’ will take place on Friday 17 June at 6pm. 4. Captioned performances will take place on 18 and 28 July at 7.30pm. Audio Described performances will take place on 15 July at 7.30pm and 16 July at 2.30pm. A pre-show Touch Tour will take place at midday prior to the matinee performance on 16 July. The National Theatre is dedicated to making the very best theatre and sharing it with as many people as possible. We produce up to 30 productions at our home on the South Bank in London each year, ranging from re-imagined classics – such as Greek tragedy and Shakespeare – to modern masterpieces and new work by contemporary writers and theatre- makers. The work we make strives to be as open, as diverse, as collaborative and as national as possible. Equally we are committed to education, with a wide-ranging Learning programme for all ages in our new Clore Learning Centre and in schools and communities across the UK. The National’s work is also seen on tour throughout the UK and internationally, and in collaborations and co-productions with regional theatres. Popular shows transfer to the West End and occasionally to Broadway. The National Theatre Live programme of cinema broadcasts is now regularly available in over 2,000 cinemas in 55 countries around the world. nationaltheatre.org.uk @nationaltheatre .