War Horse, the famous theatre production based on Michael Morpurgo’s beloved novel, will start an 18-month UK Tour from 5 September 2024.
Adapted by Nick Stafford and originally directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, War Horse has become the most successful play in the history of the National Theatre, winning more than 25 major awards and has been seen by over 8.3 million people worldwide.
The all-new tour is co-produced with Michael Harrison, Fiery Angel, and Playing Field.
“It is a huge privilege to be invited to revisit War Horse and to share this powerful story once more with audiences around the country,” said Director, Tom Morris. “Michael Morpurgo’s brilliant idea, to explore the crushing violence of war through the experience of a horse, makes his story as powerful and resonant today as it has ever been.
“In this time of increasing commercialism in theatre, it’s worth remembering that the production which carried War Horse to an international audience was a wild experiment, developed through workshops at the National Theatre Studio, the unique theatre laboratory where ground-breaking hits from Coram Boy and London Road to The Witches were devised.
“It has been an enormous thrill to return there in recent months to reunite Adrian Kohler’s magnificent puppets with designer Rae Smith, composer Adrian Sutton and other members of the original cast and creative team to start the process of bringing Joey back to the stage.”
This tour of War Horse marks 110 years since the start of the First World War and follows the 40th anniversary of the publication of Michael Morpurgo’s global best-selling novel, which has now sold over 35 million copies world-wide and in 37 different languages.
“I am so delighted the National Theatre’s iconic production of War Horse is back,” added Michael. “When Covid closed the show down in 2020 in Australia in the midst of its second World Tour, many thought, and I was amongst them, that we’d never see War Horse on stage again. Now it’s really happening – we will hear the music and songs, be amazed by its design and lighting, live Joey’s story again.
“War Horse is about the tragedy of war and about a horse and his boy, but it’s also so many other things – it’s about family and community, courage and loss, hope, and most importantly reconciliation.”
Opening at the New Wimbledon Theatre (5 – 14 September), War Horse will then tour to The Lowry, Salford (18 – 28 September) Mayflower Theatre, Southampton (8 – 19 October), The Marlowe, Canterbury (22 October – 2 November), Sunderland Empire (5 – 16 November), Theatre Royal Plymouth (26 November – 7 December), New Theatre Oxford (10 December 2024 – 4 January 2025), with future dates and venues to be announced.
For more information visit WarHorseOnStage.com
