THE PLOUGH AND THE STARS Lyttelton Theatre

Previews from 20 July, press night 27 July, booking until 27 August with additional performances to be announced

THE PLOUGH AND THE STARS by Sean O’Casey will open at the Lyttelton Theatre on 27 July as part of the Travelex £15 tickets season. Directed by Howard Davies and designed by Vicki Mortimer, with lighting by James Farncombe, music by Stephen Warbeck and sound design by Paul Groothuis, the cast includes Stephen Kennedy, Justine Mitchell and Tom Vaughan-Lawlor.

From November 1915 to Easter 1916, as the rebellion builds to a climax half a mile away, the disparate residents of a Dublin tenement go about their lives, peripheral to Ireland’s history.

Sean O’Casey places a fixed lens to watch, mercilessly objective, as a dozen vivid characters come and go – selfless, hilarious and desperate by turns - while the heroic myth of Ireland is fought over elsewhere.

To mark the centenary of the Easter Rising, Howard Davies, who memorably brought O’Casey’s The Silver Tassie to the NT stage in 2014, now tackles his greatest play. Davies’ previous work at the NT includes Children of the Sun, The Last of the Haussmans, The Cherry Orchard, Blood and Gifts, The White Guard (Evening Standard Award for Best Director), Burnt by the Sun, Gethsemane, Her Naked Skin, Never So Good, Philistines, The Life of Galileo and Mourning Becomes Electra.

Press night: Wednesday 27 July
Contact: Martin Shippen on 020 7452 3233 /

Notes to Editors

1.  The Plough and The Stars is written by Sean O’Casey and directed by Howard Davies. The show will feature design by Vicki Mortimer, lighting design by James Farncombe, music by Stephen Warbeck and sound design by Paul Groothuis. The cast includes Stephen Kennedy, Justine Mitchell and Tom Vaughan-Lawlor

2.  The production will run for 25 performances between 20 July and 27 August, with further dates to be announced

3.  A Captioned performance will take place on 19 July at 7.30pm.

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