Olivier Theatre open to socially distanced audiences from October
Harriet Clifford
Tuesday, September 22, 2020
The National Theatre’s Olivier Theatre is to undergo a remodelling in order to stage a season of in-the-round performances in October, which will facilitate a socially distanced audience of almost 500 people.
On 21 October, the theatre’s doors will open for the first time since March with Death of England: Delroy, a new play written by Clint Dyer and Roy Williams, directed by Dyer and performed by Giles Terera. The play follows Death of England, which closed just before lockdown, and explores a Black working-class man searching for truth and confronting his relationship with Great Britain.
The second production staged as part of the Olivier in-the-round season will be Dick Whittington, a pantomime originally commissioned by the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre. First staged in 2018, Jude Christian and Cariad Lloyd’s version of the famous story has been freshly updated for 2020 as is directed by Ned Bennett.
Rufus Norris, director of the National Theatre commented, ‘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.
‘We’ll do all we can to keep the flame alive: brilliant theatre artists will serve up a slice of joy to families on the South Bank, and we’ll be asking everyone to support their local theatres by booking ahead for their 2021 pantomimes. Of course, we hope that it will be possible for theatres to perform safely to fuller audiences long before then.’
In accordance with the government guidelines, social distancing measures will be in place at the NT. These include staggered arrival times, paperless tickets, pre-ordered drinks, enhanced cleaning, and sanitation stations throughout the theatre. Face coverings will be required at all times inside the building, aside from when audience members are eating or drinking.
Tickets go on sale for Death of England: Delroy on 2 October, with over 200 tickets available at £20 at each performance. Performance dates for Dick Whittington will be released at a later date, and tickets will go on sale in October.