In a radical transformation of the UK’s most prestigious theatre organization, Kate Varah, co-director of the UK National Theatre, joined director and director Indhu Rubasingham, to announce the organization’s ambitious plans for the future. The two’s vision oriented global influence, artistic innovation and audience access at the heart of the national strategy.

“The National Theatre is a real National Theatre, but we are now global theaters,” Vara told type. “What we are most interested in is how we will work the broadest range of people in the broadest way.”

Rubasingham’s inaugural season features 16 works, including nine world premieres that cleverly balance classics with modern sounds. Rubasingham will direct Euripides' "Bacchae", adapted by Nima Taleghani, the first debut on the main stage of the Olivier Theatre.

"Indhu was so excited about the freshness and honesty and destructiveness of Nima's writing," Vara explained. "What she really liked was the idea that you have classics like "Bacchae," which are adapted by a truly exciting debut playwright and the relationship between old and new, traditional and new."

Seasons boldly build stars with groundbreaking materials. Nicola Coughlan, Éannahardwicke and Siobhán Mccsweeney will star in John Millington Synge's "The Playboy of the West", directed by Caitríona McLaughlin, artistic director of the Abbey Theater.

Letitia Wright will star in the "Stories" by American playwright Tracey Scott Wilson, directed by National Theater Art Assistant Clint Dyer, while director Marianne Elliott returns to "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" along with Monica Barbaro, Lesley Manville and Aidan Turner.

Paul Mescal will debut in the National Theatre in two complementary repertoire works - Tom Murphy's Whistle in the Dark and Arthur Miller's Death of Salesman - marking the first return of the Repertoire Theatre to Lyttleton since 2020.

"The actors who came in were excited to be representatives," Walla said. "The spirit of representatives is high on people's agenda because why do they go to the National Theatre."

In recent years, the digital footprint of the National Theater has greatly expanded, and its streaming services have been spread across 184 countries around the world. “Bloomberg has provided us with some money to drive streaming services during Covid,” Vara noted. “In three years, this has grown exponentially.”

NT Live Radio continues to attract a large number of moviegoers, regularly entering the top ten in the UK box office. “What we show on NT Live is also very important to us,” Varah said. "It's important that we have to use it in combination. Because if you feed one diet through NT Live because it can be box office appeal, you might miss another piece of diversity, richness and excitement."

This global ambition extends to education, and now the National Theatre collection is in 90% of the UK's state secondary schools and expands to 200 schools in New York City, with plans to attract more American schools over the next three years.

“How do you help develop future audiences, and more broadly, how do you ensure that work resonates with them in the classroom that their teachers may not have enough resources to provide or get a live experience to share with them?” Walla asked. “Our strategy is to make sure we can share this as widely as possible.”

New York's new partnership with Sheds and BAM (Brooklyn Conservatory of Music) will further consolidate the National's transatlantic presence as it celebrates 60 years of American display work. “We are actively celebrating this and relying on our relationship with all the nonprofit partners there,” Walla explained. These collaborations will bring the National Theater’s work to the U.S. phase, digital work to the cinema and to provide educational programs to the Brooklyn community.

The major new partnership with Bank of America will accelerate the national expansion of the National Theater Skills Center, aiming to attract 15,000 people over the next three years through training programs and career support programs.

"About 92% of apprentices start working immediately after leaving us, and most of them are in the creative industry," Walla said. The initiative will introduce paid production locations at every South Shore exhibition, providing a pathway to the industry for underrepresented groups.

The National Theater actively expands its artistic boundaries through innovative cooperation. A new musical adaptation of the movie "Pride" will debut and will be developed as P&P Productions. "We're glad they chose Dorfmann as the first iteration of the first iteration of 'pride', Walla said.

Two regional companies, Lung and Intermediate Children, will become the first National Theatre resident company. “Owning a resident company is two exchanges,” Vara noted. “The kind of work they are doing is Indhu and our art team here, and I’m really excited.”

The National Theatre will work with the Unicorn Theatre for the first time to produce the tour "The Last Wild", which will visit venues and schools across England. "These partnerships are really great because it allows the size and scope of the nation to pair with experts in their area and we can work together to expand our reach," Walla said.

Despite extensive plans and global ambitions, Valla acknowledged significant challenges, especially around infrastructure funding. “What keeps me up all night is to make sure that we, as the current custodian of the current National Theater, honor the custodian of the actual value of the future,” she said.

“At present, there is a real funding crisis in terms of capital infrastructure,” explains Valla. “For decades, from the perspective of capital in the performing arts, no major organization in our large organization has had funding.”

However, this vision remains firmly focused on audience development and cultural influence. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to attract their work in more places around the world, in places where they are welcome and in stories with motivation,” Vara concluded. “Mobilizing human potential, inspiring new ideas, bringing people together, that’s what makes me happy.”