Emilia Clarke To Make West End Debut In THE SEAGULL

Emilia Clarke will make her West End debut in Anya Reiss' adaptation of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, completing the new season at the Playhouse Theatre in association with British Airways. The production opens on 19 March, with previews from 11 March and runs until 30 May. Tickets are on sale now to ATG Theatre Card Members and British Airways Executive Club Members; general booking opens today, Friday 20 December, at 12pm.

The season, directed by Jamie Lloyd, opened this month with the critically acclaimed production of Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac, freely adapted by Martin Crimp and starring James McAvoy - running until 29 February 2020; and closes with Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, in a version by Frank McGuinness with Jessica Chastain which opens on 18 June, with previews from 10 June and runs until 5 September 2020.

As part of its continued commitment to audience development, The Jamie Lloyd Company, supported by British Airways, are offering 15,000 free tickets to first time theatre-goers and 15,000 £15 tickets for under 30s, key workers and those receiving job seeker's allowance and other government benefits across the season.

Emilia Clarke said today, "I am over the moon to be playing Nina in Jamie Lloyd's interpretation of The Seagull. I've long been a fan of the singular vision he brings to each of his masterful productions and the way he approaches classical texts. We are so lucky to be working with Anya's brilliant adaptation, as she brings a light touch of modernity to this beautifully crafted play. I cannot wait to get stuck in with these two visionaries."

Anya Reiss added, "It's a cliché, but the classics really do age and change with you, so I'm thrilled to get another chance to work on The Seagull. I'm even more excited to work with Jamie and Emilia."

'We need the theatre, couldn't, couldn't do without it. Could we?'

A young woman is desperate for fame and a way out. A young man is pining after the woman of his dreams. A successful writer longs for a sense of achievement. An actress wants to fight the changing of the times. In an isolated home in the countryside where dreams are in tatters, hopes dashed, hearts broken and there is nowhere left to turn, the only option is to turn on each other.

Following on from their critically-acclaimed, five-star production of Cyrano de Bergerac, The Jamie Lloyd Company's second show in the Playhouse Season sees Anya Reiss propel Chekhov's tale of ambition, love, loneliness and fame into the 21st century.

Anya Reiss' playwriting credits include Oliver Twist (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre), Uncle Vanya (St James' Theatre), Spring Awakening (UK tour), Three Sisters (Southwark Playhouse), and The Acid Test and Spur of the Moment (Royal Court Theatre); and as screenwriter her credits include Ackley Bridge and EastEnders.

Emilia Clarke plays Nina. Her theatre credits include Breakfast at Tiffany's (Cort Theatre, New York). Her television credits include as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones; and for film, Spike Island, Dom Hemingway, Terminator: Genisys, Me Before You, Solo: A Star Wars Story and Last Christmas.

Jamie Lloyd directs. His credits as Artistic Director of the company include Cyrano de Bergerac (Playhouse Theatre), Betrayal (Harold Pinter Theatre/Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, Broadway), One For The Road, The New World Order, Mountain Language, The Lover, The Collection, Landscape, A Kind of Alaska, Monologue, Party Time, Celebration, A Slight Ache, The Dumb Waiter (Pinter at the Pinter, Harold Pinter Theatre), Doctor Faustus (Duke of York's Theatre), The Maids, The Homecoming, The Ruling Class, Richard III, The Pride, The Hothouse, Macbeth (Trafalgar Studios). Other theatre credits include Evita (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre - Evening Standard Award for Best Musical).

With design by Soutra Gilmour. Further cast and creative team to be announced.

Across the season, specific Monday evening and Thursday matinee performances are occurring where every seat in the house is £15. These tickets are exclusively for under 30s, key workers and those receiving government benefits. The first four £15 performances of The Seagull will take place on Monday 16 March (7.30pm), Thursday 9 April (2.30pm), Monday 13 April (7.30pm) and Thursday 23 April (2.30pm) - and will go on sale on Monday 24 February at 12pm via www.atgtickets.com/seagull15 only.

A dedicated outreach manager will be distributing free tickets amongst both secondary state schools and community organisations who otherwise would not have access to the theatre. If you work with a group who does not have the means or opportunity to visit the theatre, please register your interest here.

Box Office: 0844 871 7631 or https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/playhouse-theatre/