National Theatre to stage panto as it plots October reopening
The National Theatre today said it will reopen its doors for live performances next month with a season of new shows that includes a Christmas pantomime.
The iconic venue said it will remodel its Olivier theatre to stage a series of performances in-the-round, enabling audiences of almost 500 to attend while observing social distancing.
The National Theatre will reopen on 21 October for the first time since shutting its doors in March due to the coronavirus lockdown.
The season will open with Death of England: Delroy, a new play by Clint Dyer and Roy Williams.
The new work, a monologue performed by Giles Terera, is a sequel to the pair’s original Death of England performed by Rafe Spall.
The South Bank venue will also make the rare move of staging a panto on its hallowed stage.
Dick Whittington, penned by Jude Christian and Cariad Lloyd and originally commissioned by the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith, will open at the Olivier Theatre in December.
Rufus Norris, director of the National Theatre, said he was “both delighted and relieved” to be reopening the venue.
“Pantomime is an essential part of the living fabric of our nation, and it is devastating that so many theatres across the country have had no choice but to postpone their pantos this year because of the unprecedented financial impact of coronavirus,” he said. “We’ll do all we can to keep the flame alive.”
The National Theatre said it will implement a number of rules to comply with government guidelines, including social distancing, staggered arrival times and compulsory face masks.