National Theatre's MACBETH to Tour to Schools in Doncaster, London, Sunderland & Wakefield

Following a successful tour to schools and performances in the Dorfman theatre earlier this year, in which nearly 5,000 students saw Macbeth, the production now begins a tour this week to a further 31 schools and colleges across Doncaster, London, Sunderland and Wakefield.

Macbeth is adapted and directed for teenage audiences by Justin Audibert and the production is a bold contemporary retelling of one of Shakespeare's darkest plays. Amid bloody rebellion and the deafening drums of war, Macbeth and his wife will stop at nothing to fulfil their ambition. Witchcraft, murder, treason and treachery are all at play in this murky world. The cast includesNana Amoo-Gottfried, Shazia Nicholls, Gabby Wong, Stephanie Levi John, Adrian Richards, Tamara Camacho, Johndeep More and Kenton Thomas.

Speaking about the production director, Justin Audibert said 'Macbeth is a tale of ambition, dark magic, violence and love; the perfect combination for an audience of young adults. We have made our version as exciting and visceral as possible, a truly sensory experience.'

The tour will begin by visiting 15 schools in London, followed by a further 16 schools across Doncaster, Sunderland and Wakefield, as part of the NT's strategic touring programme.

Speaking about the schools tours the National Theatre's Director of Learning, Alice King-Farlow said 'At the NT we believe that all young people should have the opportunity to take part in theatre and drama while at school and so I am delighted that we're touring Justin's contemporary 90 minute adaptation of Macbeth to schools across London and in the North of England this year as part of our new national partnership programme.'

The Mohn Westlake Foundation supports nationwide Learning programmes for young people. Shakespeare for younger audiences is supported by The Ingram Trust, Archie Sherman Charitable Trust, Behrens Foundation, and Jill and David Leuw. The National Theatre's Partner for Learning is Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

At the National Theatre, we make world-class theatre that is entertaining, challenging and inspiring, and we make it for everyone. In 2016-2017, the NT staged 26 productions and gave 2,585 performances at our home on the South Bank. The NT's award-winning programme had a UK paying audience of 1.8 million, 400,000 of which were NT Live audiences.

The work the National Theatre produces appeals to the widest possible audiences with new plays, musicals, re-imagined classics and new work for young audiences. The NT's work is seen in the West End, on tour throughout the UK and internationally, and in collaborations and co-productions with partners across the country. Through NT Live, we broadcast some of the best of British theatre to over 2,500 venues in 60 countries around the world.

Our extensive Learning programme offers talks, events and workshops for people of all ages, and reaches nationwide through programmes such as Connections, our annual festival of new plays for schools and youth theatres. In 2016-2017 there were 196,826 participations through the NT Learning events programme. Over 3,000 schools have signed up to the free streaming service, On Demand. In Schools, since its launch in September 2015.

The National Theatre is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.

Visit nationaltheatre.org.uk for more information.

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