Dominic Cooper, Clare Higgins, Conleth Hill, Ciaran Hinds, Helen Mirren, and More Set for National Theatre’s 2009 Season

Additional casting and dates have been announced for the 2009 season at London’s National Theatre, according to www.whatsonstage.com.

The previously reported production of Jean Racine’s Phedre — starring Helen Mirren, Dominic Cooper, and Margaret Tyzack — is now set for the Lyttleton Theatre, beginning June 4. Directed by Nicholas Hytner, the run will include a live broadcast performance — shown on the same day to more than 100 venues around the world, including 50 cinema screens across the UK — on June 25. It will also visit Epidaurus, Greece on July 10 and 11, along with the previously announced U.S. stop at The Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington D.C., September 17-26. Bob Crowley will design the production.

Other Lyttleton productions will include the currently running Burnt by the Sun (through April 21), directed by Howard Davies and headlined by Rory Kinnear, Ciaran Hinds, and Michelle Dockery, and the revival of JB Priestley’s 1937 drama Time and the Conways, directed by Rupert Goold, and starring Francesca Annis as Mrs. Conway, with Mark Dexter, Lisa Jackson, Lydia Leonard, Hattie Morahan, Alistair Petrie, Paul Ready, Adrian Scarborough, and Fenella Woolgar.

In the Olivier will be Rufus Norris’ revival of Wole Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman (April 1-June 13), which will star Nonso Anozie as Elesin, along with David Ajala, Medina Ajikawo, Sarah Amankwah, Claire Benedict, Robert Eugene, Derek Ezenagu, Karlina Grace, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Hazel Holder, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Tony James-Andersson, Jenny Jules, Gemma McFarlane-Edmond, Coral Messam, Lucian Msamati, Rex Obano, Anthony Ofoegbu, Demi Oyediran, Daniel Poyser, Jason Rowe, Seun Shote, Giles Terera, and David Webber.

Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well will also play the Olivier beginning May 19, directed by Marianne Elliott. It will star Olivier Award winners Clare Higgins and Conleth Hill as the Countess of Rossillion and Parolles, along with Michelle Terry, George Rainsford, Janet Henfrey, Sioned Jones, Elliot Levey, Brendan O’Hea and Michael Thomas.

The Cottesloe will feature the world premiere of The Observer, by Matt Charman (beginning May 13), directed by Richard Eyre and featuring Leo Bill, Daon Broni, Anna Chancellor, James Fleet, Peter Forbes, Lloyd Hutchinson, Chuk Iwuji, Aïcha Kossoko, Louis Mahoney, Cyril Nri, Isabel Pollen, and Joy Richardson, with designs by Rob Howell.

Also at the Cottesloe is James Macdonald’s production of Marlowe’s Dido, Queen of Carthage (beginning March 17), and featuring Anastasia Hille in the title role, with Obi Abili, Jake Arditti, Mark Bonnar, Sian Brooke, Gary Carr, Alan David, Susan Engel, Freddie Hill, Stephen Kennedy, Kyle McPhail, Thomas Patten, Siobhan Redmond, Ryan Sampson, Ceallach Spellman, and Theo Stevenson.

The National’s New Connections showcase festival will run July 1-7 in both the Olivier and Cottesloe, and will feature plays by writers including David Mamet, Anthony Horowitz, Anthony Neilson, William Boyd, Ben Power and Georgia Fitch. In addition, Lee Hall’s The Pitmen Painters, currently running in rep in the Lyttelton until April 14, will launch a nine-week tour from Newcastle on September 29, then visit Cardiff, Milton Keynes, Salford, Sheffield, Norwich and Plymouth, where the tour concludes on November 28.