War Horse - National Theatre's UK and Ireland Tour

War Horse at the New London Theatre Photo by Brinkhoff Mögenburg.

The National Theatre has announced the cast for the internationally acclaimed production of War Horse, based on Michael Morpurgo’s beloved novel, which embarks on a major UK and Ireland tour from 5 September 2024, touring through to 2026.

War Horse, adapted by Nick Stafford and originally directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, 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. This new tour is co-produced with Michael Harrison, Fiery Angel, and Playing Field.

War Horse at the New London Theatre Photo by Brinkhoff Mögenburg.

War Horse tells the remarkable story of a young boy called Albert and his horse Joey, set against the backdrop of the First World War. This powerfully moving and imaginative drama is a show of phenomenal inventiveness, filled with stirring music and songs, featuring ground-breaking puppetry work by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, which brings breathing, galloping, charging, horses to thrilling life on stage and has inspired a generation of theatre-makers since its premiere in 2007.

War Horse at the New London Theatre. Photo by Brinkhoff Mögenburg.

At the outbreak of World War One, Joey, young Albert’s beloved horse, is sold to the Cavalry and shipped to France. He’s soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary journey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land. Albert, who remained on his parents’ Devon farm, cannot forget Joey. Though still not old enough to enlist he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home.

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.

War Horse at the New London Theatre Photo by Brinkhoff Mögenburg.

The full cast of 35 includes: Rianna Ash, Alexander Ballinger, Diany Bandza, Eloise Beaumont-Wood, Ike Bennett, Haydn Burke, Sophie Cartman, Jo Castleton, Owen Dagnall, Alexandra Donnachie, Felicity Donnelly, Tom Gilbey, Thomas Goodridge, Karl Haynes, Robin Hayward, Michael Larcombe, Matthew Lawrence, Madeleine Leslay, Jack Lord, Damian Lynch, Lewis McBean, Chris Milford, Jordan Paris, Anne-Marie, Tea Poldervaart, Lucy Thorburn, Gareth Radcliffe, Daniel Rock, Tom Sturgess, Alistair So, Simon Stanhope, Gun Suen, Sally Swanson, Chris Williams, and Rafe Young.

Cast for War Horse Tour. Image courtesy of the National Theatre.

Creative development for the tour has been led by Tom Morris with revival director Katie Henry, featuring reimagined designs by Rae Smith and additional music by Adrian Sutton. Puppet design and fabrication is by Adrian Kohler for Handspring Puppet Company, lighting design is by Rob Casey, movement and horse choreography is by Toby Sedgwick with puppet direction by Matthew Forbes. Animation and projection design is by Nicol Scott for 59 Productions.

War Horse at the New London Theatre Photo by Brinkhoff Mögenburg.

War Horse received its world premiere on 9 October 2007 at the National Theatre, where it played for two seasons before opening at the New London Theatre in March 2009. Since then, War Horse has been seen in 97 cities in 14 countries, including productions on Broadway, in Toronto and Berlin, with touring productions in the UK and Ireland, North America, the Netherlands and Belgium. The National Theatre’s Partner for Financial Wellbeing, Charles Stanley, is supporting War Horse on tour.