Photo Flash: First Look at NINE NIGHT at the National Theatre

Roy Alexander Weise directs Natasha Gordon's debut play Nine Night is a touching and very funny exploration of the rituals of family.

Gloria is gravely sick. When her time comes, the celebration begins; the traditional Jamaican Nine Night Wake. But for Gloria's children and grandchildren, marking her death with a party that lasts over a week is a test. Nine nights of music, food, sharing stories - and an endless parade of mourners.

Speaking about her play Natasha said, "When I wrote the play I was grappling with how grief moves through us, the importance for ritual and ceremony for some people, yet for others it's a quieter, private observance that's important. I experienced the tradition of Nine Night for the first time when my Grandmother passed away four years ago. I was struck by the importance of the tradition for my Grandmother's generation and for the people in my family that were born in Jamaica. This is the first time Roy and I are working together and I'm really looking forward to it, he's a fantastic director and we have an amazing cast who are all so talented, I can't wait."

The cast includes Oliver Alvin-Wilson, Franc Ashman, Ricky Fearon, Michelle Greenidge, Hattie Ladbury, Rebekah Murrelland Cecilia Noble.

Design by Rajha Shakiry, with lighting design by Paule Constable, sound design by George Dennis and movement direction by Shelley Maxwell.

At the National Theatre, we make world-class theatre that is entertaining, challenging and inspiring, and we make it for everyone. In 2016-2017, the NT staged 26 productions and gave 2,585 performances at our home on the South Bank. The NT's award-winning programme had a UK paying audience of 1.8 million, 400,000 of which were NT Live audiences.

The work the National Theatre produces appeals to the widest possible audiences with new plays, musicals, re-imagined classics and new work for young audiences. The NT's work is seen in the West End, on tour throughout the UK and internationally, and in collaborations and co-productions with partners across the country. Through NT Live, we broadcast some of the best of British theatre to over 2,500 venues in 60 countries around the world.

Our extensive Learning programme offers talks, events and workshops for people of all ages, and reaches nationwide through programmes such as Connections, our annual festival of new plays for schools and youth theatres. In 2016-2017 there were 196,826 participations through the NT Learning events programme. Over 3,000 schools have signed up to the free streaming service, On Demand. In Schools, since its launch in September 2015.

The National Theatre is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.

Photo Credit: Helen Murray