Cloud 9 Revival Opens at the National Theatre's Lyttelton

Caryl Churchill's Cloud 9 opens at the National Theatre's Lyttelton auditorium on 2 November 2026, directed by Dominic Cooke, with performances running until 13 January 2027. Described as Churchill's dizzying breakthrough play, the work is an audacious examination of the parallels between sexual and colonial repression, following the same cast of characters across two settings: 19th century Africa and 1970s London. Cooke, who is set to become the next artistic director of the Almeida Theatre, takes on the production at the National. The revival arrives at a notably active moment for Churchill, who at 88 is widely regarded as Britain's greatest living playwright. Her short play Triumph recently ran at the Almeida, and a new collection of plays called Three and a Bit is due to open there in January. Tickets for Cloud 9 are available through the National Theatre website.