It will be directed by Howard Davies, who also directed Brenton's 55 Days at the theatre last year. Brenton's most recent play, #aiww: The Arrest of Ai Weiwei, was produced at Hampstead in April and live-streamed around the world.

Brenton's other recent credits include Never So Good and a new version of Danton's Death (both at the National Theatre) and Anne Boleyn (Shakespeare’s Globe).

Drawing the Line revolves around a true story. In 1947 Mr. Justice Cyril Radcliffe was summoned by the Prime Minister from the Court where he was presiding and given an extraordinary mission. He was to travel to India, a country he had never visited and of which he had almost no knowledge, and, with limited survey information, no expert support and no knowledge of cartography, to draw the border which would divide the Indian sub-continent into two new Sovereign Dominions: India and Pakistan. And he had only six weeks in which to complete the task.

Wholly unsuited to his role, Radcliffe was unprepared for the dangerous whirlpool of political intrigue and passion into which he was plunged; one of religious and racial turmoil, blood feuds and even an illicit liaison between the Leader of the Congress Party and the Viceroy’s wife. As he began to break under the pressure, he came to realize that he held in his hands the fate of millions of people.

According to press materials, the play was inspired by conversations Brenton had during a visit to India in 2009, and exposes the chaos of the Partition that has shaped the modern world. To book tickets, contact the box office on 020 7722 9301, or visit www. hampsteadtheatre.com for more details.