National Theatre, 2012 Season

The National Theatre's summer highlights include Simon Russell Beale directed by Nicholas Hytner in Shakespeare's Timon of Athens and Julie Walters as an ageing society dropout in the debut stage play by TV writer Stephen Beresford, The Last of the Haussmans.

Spring 2012

Preview 11 Jan, press night 18 January, Nicholas Wright’s Travelling Light (WORLD PREMIERE), Lyttelton Theatre, on tour & NT Live 9 February. Antony Sher stars as Jacob in a comic tale about the Eastern European background of a Hollywood film director. Set designs by Bob Crowley, costumes by Vicki Mortimer, directed by Nicholas Hytner. Touring to The Lowry, Salford (13-17 March); Grand Theatre, Leeds (20-24 March); Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury (27-31 March); and Theatre Royal, Newcastle (3-7 April).

Previews from 24 January, press night 31 January, Oliver Goldsmith’s She Stoops to Conquer, Olivier Theatre & NT Live 29 March. Jamie Lloyd directs one of the great, generous-hearted and ingenious comedies of the English language, a celebration of chaos, courtship and the dysfunctional family of Hardcastle, with Sophie Thompson and Steve Pemberton in the cast.

Previews from 7 March, press night 14 March, Errol John’s Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, Cottesloe Theatre. Michael Buffong directs John’s 1953 play set in Port of Spain, Trinidad, as returning troops from World War Two fill the town with their raucous celebrations, and Ephraim decides to make a new life in England.

Previews on 9 & 10 March, press night 12 March, until 28 March, Lloyd Newson’s Can We Talk About This? NT co-production with DV8 Physical Theatre, Lyttelton Theatre. A polemical verbal and physical production using real interviews and voices reflecting on aspects of the controversies over some Muslim opposition to expression of opinion, from Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses to the murder of film-maker Theo Van Gogh.

15-25 February, Nicky Singer’s Island, Cottesloe Theatre, on tour to primary schools from 18 January. A new play about an island in the Arctic Ocean where it's always day and ice storms freeze flesh in 30 seconds flat - where Cameron has to spend a week of his school holidays.

Summer 2012

From 12 June: Julie Walters as an ageing society dropout in the debut stage play by TV writer Stephen Beresford, The Last of the Haussmans, directed by Howard Davies at the Lyttleton, with Rory Kinnear and Helen McCrory as her children.

20-25 June: A week of plays for children's performance fields 10 new plays (in the "Connections" festival). Alongside the stage productions a programme of events from 1 June to 9 September includes The Pop-up workshop, including puppetry, prop-making and stage combat; outdoor performances from NoFit State Circus and Compagnie Bilbasso; site-specific work from Made In China and Non Zero One, and exhibitions on The Making of War Horse and The Making of Timon.

June: Danny Boyle's Frankenstein with Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller will be rebroadcast in cinemas.

From 17 July: Simon Russell Beale directed by Nicholas Hytner in Shakespeare's Timon of Athens at the Olivier Theatre

From 24 July: A stage production of Mark Haddon's novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has been created by Simon Stephens for the Lyttelton, directed by Marianne Elliott, with Niamh Cusack and Una Stubbs among the cast.

From 24 July: Also in rep at the Lyttelton is G B Shaw's The Doctor's Dilemma,

28 July-6 Sep: London Road, the successful music theatre production by Alecky Blythe and Adam Cork on the Ipswich murders, returns for a limited second run to the Olivier (28 July-6 Sep).

Autumn 2012

11 October:  live cinema broadcast of Julie Walters in The Last of the Haussmans.

1 November:  live cinema broadcast of Simon Russell Beale in Timon of Athens.

From 17 November: Richard Bean (author of One Man, Two Guv'nors) will adapt Alexandre Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo for a family show that opens at the Olivier Theatre.

Continuing

NT in the West End

One Man, Two Guvnors, Theatre Royal Haymarket. Richard Bean's comedy based on Goldoni

War Horse, New London Theatre, West End, currently booking to October. Nick Stafford's adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s children's book about a World War One horse

The Pitmen Painters, Duchess Theatre, West End. Lee Hall's play about an unusual art movement in the 1930s.

Platform talks

12 Jan, actor Michael Pennington on Shakespeare, Cottesloe BS

6 Feb, actor Simon Callow on Dickens and Theatre, Cottesloe BS

9 Feb, director Jamie Lloyd on She Stoops to Conquer, Olivier

13 Feb, philosopher Alain de Botton on religion, Lyttelton BS

17 Feb, director Nicholas Hytner and playwright Nicholas Wright on Travelling Light, Lyttelton

20 Feb, director Gregory Doran on "Shakespeare's Lost Play" Cardenio, Cottesloe BS

2 Mar, actress Sue Johnston, Lyttelton BS

19 Mar, DV8: Can We Talk About This?: a discussion on freedom of speech, multiculturalism and Islam, Lyttelton

26 Mar, comedian and novelist Julian Clary, Cottesloe BS

27 Mar, director Michael Buffong on Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, Cottesloe

• Book online and find information on all NT shows
• National Theatre production reviews on theartsdesk