13 Tickets

The National Theatre is pleased to announce that its Olivier Theatre will host the world premiere production of Mike Bartlett's new work '13', directed by Thea Sharrock, running from the 18^th of October to the 3^rd of November 2011. This hard-hitting yet inspiring topical drama follows Bartlett's success and acclaim with last year's equally topical 'Earthquakes in London', and is sure to be a highlight of the autumn season. Tickets go on sale to the general public on the 21^st of June, so be sure to get one while they are still available.

The play is set in an alternate, almost dystopian present day London, where things are similar yet unsettlingly different to the London we know. As a young man named John returns to the city after many years away from it, the citizens of London wake up from an eerie shared nightmare to a reality blighted by financial ruin, political disinterest and the threat of war. The few protesters who make an effort to change things have very little impact, but John arrives as a new and vital force, bringing fresh ideas and enthusiasm to those whom he gathers around him. With the aim of averting conflict and changing the future for the better, John inspires his followers, leading them to the very epicentre of political action in the city in an attempt to make a real difference to the lives of every citizen.

Mike Bartlett is the current writer in residence at the National Theatre Studio, and apart from 2010's highly acclaimed 'Earthquakes in London', he has previously achieved success with works such as 'Cock', which won the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre last year, and the Tinniswood Award for 'Not Talking' in 2006. This production will be directed by Thea Sharrock, who gained attention in 2001 when, aged 24, she became the youngest artistic director in British theatre, at London's Southwark Playhouse. Her recent directorial work includes 'As You Like It' at Shakespeare's Globe in 2009 and 'The Misanthrope' featuring Keira Knightley and Damian Lewis, which ran at the Comedy Theatre in 2009-10. The venue - the Olivier Theatre - is the largest auditorium in the National Theatre complex on the South Bank, with an audience capacity of 1160, and is named after Laurence Olivier, the theatre's first artistic director. This play is the National Theatre's final Travelex £12 ticket production of this year.