The world premiere of Dumb Show by dramatist Joe Penhall will feature actors Rupert Graves and Douglas Hodge. The pair were critically acclaimed when they appeared together in Patrick Marber's much-admired West End production of Harold Pinter's The Caretaker in 2000. They will be joined by Anna Maxwell Martin, who came to the attention of National Theatre audiences playing the part of Lyra in Nicholas Hytner's marathon staging of His Dark Materials, adapted from the Philip Pullman novels. Penhall is best known for his psychological drama Blue/Orange for which the author won an Olivier Award. Dumb Show opens on September 9 and is followed by a new work from writer Kevin Elyot called Forty Winks. Elyot's previous plays for the Royal Court — Mouth to Mouth and My Night With Reg — both transferred to the West End. Forty Winks will be directed by Katie Mitchell, whose acclaimed production of the Euripidean tragedy Iphigenia at Aulis is currently playing at the National.