National Theatre artistic director Nicholas Hytner last week announced the company's plans for 2012 and beyond.
The first production to open in the Olivier on 30 May will be Antigone by Sophocles adapted by Don Taylor and directed by Polly Findlay. Hytner's production of Collaborators by John Hodge starring Alex Jennings and Simon Russell Beale will transfer to the Olivier in May after a successful run in the Cottesloe.
From July, Hytner's production of Timon of Athens will star Simon Russell Beale in the title role and Alecky Blythe and Adam Cork's musical London Road will be revived for a short season.
In October, Frank McGuinness's version of Damned for Despair by Tirso de Molina will be directed by Bijan Sheibani. Timothy Sheader will make his National Theatre directorial debut with The Count of Monte Christo, adapted from Alexandre Dumas's novel by Richard Bean.
Antony Sher, currently appearing in Travelling Light, will return to the National in January 2013 to take the title role in The Captain of Köpenick by Carl Zuckmayer directed by Adrian Noble, and in spring 2013 Hytner will direct Adrian Lester and Rory Kinnear as Othello and Iago. Jamie Lloyd's production of Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer opens tonight.
Cillian Murphy will recreate his solo performance in Enda Walsh's Misterman in the Lyttleton from 18 April for a limited run. Julie Walters, Rory Kinnear and Helen McCrory will star in Stephen Beresford's new play The Last of the Houssmans directed by Howard Davies from June, and then in July, Nadia Fall will direct George Bernard Shaw's The Doctor's Dilemma.
People is a new play by Alan Bennett that will be directed by Hytner for the Lyttleton in October, and Howard Davies will direct Gorky's Children of the Sun for March 2013. DV8's Can We Talk About This? will become part of the repertoire in March for just 22 performances while Travelling Light is on tour.
Over in the Cottesloe, Michael Buffong will direct Moon on a Rainbow Shawl by Errol John opening on 14 March, and Fuel will present Inua Ellams in his new show Black T-Short Collection in April. The UK première of Detroit by Lisa D'Amour in May will be directed by the director of the original Steppenwolf Theatre Company of Chicago production Austin Pendleton.
Simon Stephens's adaptation of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon will be directed by Marianne Elliott in July with a cast including Una Stubbs, Luke Treadaway and Nicola Walker. Also, a new play by James Graham called This House will be directed by Jeremy Herrin and open in September, Rupert Goold will direct a co-production with Headlong of a new play by Lucy Prebble for November and Katie Mitchell will direct Hansel and Gretel for 4- to 7-year-olds in December.
National Theatre productions on tour include Travelling Light by Nicholas Wright from March, One Man, Two Guvnors by Richard Bean in autumn and War Horse from September 2013.