In addition, the 50th anniversary of the National Theatre company's first performance at the Old Vic in October 1963 will be marked in the fall by a unique performance broadcast from the Olivier Theatre on BBC 2, two Arena documentaries on BBC 4 and the publication of a book, "The National Theatre Story" by Daniel Rosenthal.

Also announced are new productions of Marlowe's Edward II, Pirandello's Liolà, Eugene O’Neill's Strange Interlude and Georg Kaiser's From Morning to Midnight, plus a new adaptation of Emil and the Detectives for family audiences at Christmas.

Other artists due to work in The Shed, besides those whose productions have already been scheduled, are Carrie Cracknell, Marianne Elliott, Nadia Fall, Polly Findlay, Matthew Herbert, Nick Payne, Tim Price and debbie tucker green. A Visitors’ Festival in September will celebrate the breadth of talent outside London. A production of Romeo and Juliet by Ben Power and Bijan Sheibani will tour London primary schools and visit The Shed.

In the Olivier Theatre, Othello will be joined in June by Rufus Norris directing James Baldwin's The Amen Corner, with Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Sharon D Clarke leading the cast. It will form part of the Travelex £12 Tickets season, as will Christopher Marlowe's Edward II in September, with Joe Hill-Gibbins directing John Heffernan in the title role. Then in November, Bijan Sheibani will stage a new production of Emil and the Detectives, a classic children's adventure by Erich Kästner that is being adapted for the stage by Carl Miller. Looking further ahead to 2014, Sam Mendes will return to the National, reuniting with Simon Russell Beale to direct him in the title role of King Lear in January.


In the Lyttelton, Simon Godwin (best known for his work at the Royal Court) will make his National directorial debut in June, directing O'Neill's Strange Interlude with a cast that includes Anne-Marie Duff and Charles Edwards. Former NT birector Richard Eyre (currently represented in the West End by Quartermaine's Terms and on Broadway by Mary Poppins) will direct Pirandello's Liolà in a new version by Tanya Ronder; it will open in August as the second of this year's Travelex £12 Tickets productions in the Lyttelton.The Light Princess, featuring music and lyrics by Tori Amos, book and lyrics by Samuel Adamson and suggested by a story by George MacDonald, will open in October, directed by Marianne Elliott. The cast will include Rosalie Craig and Clive Rowe. In November, Melly Still will direct From Morning to Midnight by Georg Kaiser, in a new version by Dennis Kelly. In the Shed, future productions will include a project exploring sound devised by the electronic musician Matthew Herbert, in July (as yet unnamed); Home, a verbatim theatre piece with music exploring social housing in London, devised and directed by Nadia Fall, in August; nut, a new play written and directed by debbie tucker green, opening in November; The Elephantom, a play with puppets for young audiences, opening in December, that is based on the book by Ross Collins, adapted by Ben Power and directed by Finn Caldwell, Marianne Elliott and Toby Olié; and new plays by Tim Price (about the Occupy Movement, directed by Polly Findlay in December) and Nick Payne (directed by Carrie Cracknell, in early 2014).

Booking is not open for these yet.