War Horse returns to UK theatres for major 2024 to 2026 tour | West End Theatre (2024)

The National Theatre has announced that it’s acclaimed stage production of War Horse is returning to UK theatres in 2024, 2025 and 2026!

After a five year break, the multi-award winning show is playing venues across the UK, starting at London’s New Wimbledon Theatre on 5 September 2024, and touring to theatres including the Lowry in Salford, the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton, the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury, the Sunderland Empire, Theatre Royal Plymouth and the New Theatre Oxford Theatre. More venues and dates are to be announced soon.

War Horse will be directed by Tom Morris, who directed the original production at the National Theatre in 2007 alongside Marianne Elliott.

The stage adaptation by Nick Stafford of Michael Morpurgo’s best-selling story about the horrors of the First World War, from the perspective of a young boy and his horse, has travelled to 14 countries and 97 cities, and been watched by more than 8 million people around the world.

Director Tom Morris told the Guardian, where this news was first announced, that: “Now obviously the war that Michael was writing about is even further in the dim annals of history but horrifyingly there is trench warfare again in Europe. The world feels increasingly unstable and I’m really fascinated to see what the story feels like for new audiences. I don’t think a piece of theatre can change the course of history, but if you look at what it offers within our culture and the terrifying disappearance of the opportunity to reflect from most of our lives, it feels really important.”

The stage production of War Horse features extraordinary life-sized puppetry designed by Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler for Handspring Puppet Company.

The creative team also includes revival director Katie Henry, reimagined designs by Rae Smith, additional music by Adrian Sutton, lighting design by Rob Casey, movement and horse choreography by Toby Sedgwick, puppet direction by Matthew Forbes, animation and projection design by Nicol Scott for 59 Productions, songs by John Tams, sound design by Christopher Shutt, casting by Jill Green CDG, and the associate designer is Will Fricker.

The show closed in the West End in 2016, having played over 3,000 performances at the New London Theatre, now the Gillian Lynne Theatre.

This new tour is produced by the National Theatre, Michael Harrison, Fiery Angel, and Playing Field.

Director, Tom Morris said in a statement: “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. 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. And 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.”

Author, Michael Morpurgo said: “I am so delighted the National Theatre’s iconic production of War Horse is back! 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.”

Executive Director of the National Theatre, Kate Varah said: “We are delighted that we are able to launch this major new UK tour of War Horse. This moving and spectacular production has captured the imagination of millions of audience members across the world since it was first performed on the Olivier stage in 2007 and we are deeply appreciative and excited, to be working with our co-producers to make this possible in the current landscape. We look forward to connecting with our partner venues with this much-loved story, that appeals to all ages and which beautifully showcases the magic of live performance.”

For all UK tour venues and dates, see the link below.

More about tickets to the War Horse UK Tour

📷Main photo: War Horse - National Theatre. Photo by Brinkhoff:Moegenburg