Arts | High school » National Theatre Announces Romeo and Juliet, Starring Josh O Connor and Jessie Buckley, to Become an Original Film for Television

National Theatre announces Romeo & Juliet, starring Josh O’Connor and Jessie Buckley, to become an original film for television • • • • • The NT’s Lyttelton theatre temporarily transformed into a studio to film this special made-for-screen production Directed by NT Associate Simon Godwin (Antony and Cleopatra, Twelfth Night) Cast includes Fisayo Akinade, Deborah Findlay, Tamsin Greig, Lucian Msamati and Shubham Saraf Presented by Sky Arts, PBS and No Guarantees, produced by the National Theatre in association with Sabel Productions and Cuba Pictures The original film will premiere on Sky Arts and PBS in 2021 Tuesday 27th October 2020 The National Theatre has today announced it is creating a new filmed version of Romeo & Juliet for television, temporarily transforming the vast stage spaces of its Lyttelton theatre into a film studio to capture Shakespeare’s timeless play for a new generation of audiences. The National Theatre has broadcast stage productions to

cinemas for over a decade through its National Theatre Live programme, but this will be the first time an original production for screen has been created in its South Bank home. Romeo & Juliet will be directed by NT Associate Simon Godwin (Antony and Cleopatra, Twelfth Night), adapted for screen by Emily Burns and with Jessie Buckley (Chernobyl, Judy) and Josh O’Connor (God’s Own Country, The Crown) as the star-crossed lovers. Romeo & Juliet was originally to have played to theatre audiences in the NT’s Olivier auditorium from Summer 2020. Reconceived for the screen, this new 90-minute version will be shot over three weeks with a collaborative team of theatre and film experts, embracing the architecture of the theatre space in telling the story. It will premiere in 2021 on Sky Arts and PBS, in the UK and US respectively. Sky Arts went free-to-air this September and is now available for everyone on Freeview channel 11 in the UK. Sky Arts is the headline sponsor of

National Theatre Live in the UK and has just renewed its partnership for a further three years. In the US, the Emmy Award-winning performing arts series Great Performances will present Romeo & Juliet on PBS. Rufus Norris, Director and Joint Chief Executive of the National Theatre, said: “Realising the Lyttelton theatre would need to remain shut to audiences during this time has been really difficult and meant we found ourselves in a unique set of circumstances. I wanted to find a way to use that space to create something exciting and special for audiences, that utilised the exceptional skill and craft of the National Theatre’s teams, freelancers and creative associates, and that could reach as many people as we can. That’s all going to be possible with this brilliant film of Romeo & Juliet and, in collaboration with Sky Arts, PBS and No Guarantees, it will be seen across the UK and US. I’m delighted that Simon, Jessie, Josh and the team have joined us for a National

Theatre first and are going to create a truly fresh film of Shakespeare’s enduring love story.” Simon Godwin, director of Romeo & Juliet, NT Associate and Artistic Director at the Shakespeare Theatre Company, said: “This has been a uniquely challenging time for the industry and so I have huge respect for Rufus and the team for meeting this challenge with creativity and deciding to use the Lyttelton theatre in this way for filmed work; I think it’s a genius idea and I’m honoured to be able to create the first film. I think I speak for myself, the creative team and the cast when I say how delighted we are to be focusing all our creativity into this version of Romeo & Juliet once more. Some ideas are staying, lots of new ones are coming in - I’m very excited about this new genre, combining film and theatre, and bringing together the remarkable talents of those industries. And the world will get to see Josh as Romeo and Jessie as Juliet, it had to happen!” As

previously announced for the Olivier production, Fisayo Akinade (The Antipodes, Barber Shop Chronicles) will play Mercutio. Also announced today as joining the cast of Romeo & Juliet is Deborah Findlay (Coriolanus, The Split) in the role of the Nurse, Tamsin Greig (Twelfth Night, Talking Heads) as Lady Capulet, Lucian Msamati (Master Haroldand the boys, His Dark Materials) as the Friar, Shubham Saraf (A Suitable Boy) as Benvolio, David Judge (My Brilliant Friend) as Tybalt, Alex Mugnaioni (The Visit) as Paris and Ellis Howard (Catherine the Great) as Sampson. Set in modern Italy in a world where Catholic and secular values clash, two young lovers strive to transcend a world of violence and corruption. Uniting key talent from both theatre and film, the Director of Photography is Tim Sidell (I Hate Suzie), with production design by Soutra Gilmour, movement direction by Jonathan Goddard and Shelley Maxwell, fight direction by Kate Waters and composition by Michael Bruce. It will be

produced by David Sabel, who created the National Theatre Live programme at the NT, at Sabel Productions. Executive Producers are Rufus Norris, Director and Joint Chief Executive of the National Theatre; Dixie Linder, Cuba Pictures (London Road, McMafia); David Horn, Great Performances; Christine Schwarzman & Darren Johnston, No Guarantees; and Philip Edgar Jones, Sky Arts. Rehearsals for Romeo & Juliet start in November at the National Theatre, with filming from December and the premiere expected to air in spring 2021. Presented by Sky Arts, PBS and No Guarantees, Romeo & Juliet will be produced by the National Theatre, in association with Sabel Productions and Cuba Pictures. Romeo & Juliet is supported by Leila Maw Straus. Notes to Editors For images, please see here. For further information, please contact: Katie Marsh, Press Manager for the National Theatre, kmarsh@nationaltheatre.orguk Louisa Terry, Press Assistant for the National Theatre,

lterry@nationaltheatre.orguk About the National Theatre The National Theatre’s mission is to make world class theatre that’s entertaining, challenging and inspiring – and to make it for everyone. It aims to reach the widest possible audience and to be as inclusive, diverse and national as possible with a broad range of productions that play in London, on tour around the UK, on Broadway and across the globe. The National Theatres extensive UK-wide learning and participation programme supports young people and schools through performance and writing programmes like Connections, New Views and Let’s Play, while Public Acts creates ambitious new works of participatory theatre in sustained partnership with theatres and community organisations around the country. The National Theatre extends its reach through digital programmes including NT Live, which broadcasts some of the best of British theatre to over 2,500 venues in 65 countries, and the National Theatre Collection, which makes

recordings of shows available to UK schools and the global education sector. The National Theatre invests in the future of theatre by developing talent, creating bold new work and building audiences, partnering with a range of UK theatres and theatre companies. For more information, please visit nationaltheatre.orguk @NationalTheatre @NT PressOffice About Sky Arts As the UK’s only dedicated arts channel, Sky Arts exists to bring more art to more people across the UK. By throwing open the doors to make the channel free-to-air, we want to increase access to and drive participation in the arts. Offering something for everyone, whatever their passion, Sky Arts showcases the best of classical and popular music, theatre, opera, dance and the visual arts, as well as original drama and comedy. Sky Arts is available to watch on Freeview channel 11 and Freesat channel 147. Sky Arts is the headline sponsor of National Theatre Live in the UK and has just renewed its partnership for a further

three years. This will be marked by Sky Arts’ exclusive acquisition of hit productions Jane Eyre and Twelfth Night, which will air on the channel in December. About Great Performances Throughout its more than 40-year history on PBS, Great Performances has provided an unparalleled showcase of the best in all genres of the performing arts, serving as America’s most prestigious and enduring broadcaster of cultural programming. From new productions of timeless classics to innovative performances by emerging artists, Great Performances presents an international roster of renowned artists and performing art companies. To date, the series has been awarded 67 Emmy Awards and six Peabody Awards. The series is available for streaming simultaneously on all station-branded PBS platforms, including on pbs.org/gperf and the PBS Video app, which is available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Chromecast. PBS station members can view episodes via Passport (contact your local PBS

station for details). Great Performances is produced by THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET. About No Guarantees NO GUARANTEES is an artist-driven theatrical production company, founded by Christine Schwarzman. In 2019, No Guarantees won the Tony Award for Best Musical for Hadestown and is nominated again this year for Tina--The Tina Turner Musical. Additional No Guarantees productions include Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations, Mean Girls, Beetlejuice, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus with Nathan Lane, and King Lear with Glenda Jackson. Off-Broadway, No Guarantees is proud to have supported the New York premieres of David Henry Hwang & Jeanine Tesori’s Soft Power (Public Theater), as well as Celine Song’s Endlings (New York Theatre Workshop). Upcoming productions include Company, The Lehman Trilogy, and Sing Street on Broadway, Cinderella on the West End, and the new musical Goddess, conceived and directed by Saheem Ali, book by Jocelyn Bioh, music

and lyrics by Michael Thurber, making its world premiere at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2021