YOUNG AMERICA SEASON Transfers To The National Theatre, 3/24

Two rarely performed masterpieces of American theatre, one a European premiere, opened to widespread critical acclaim at Northampton's Royal & Derngate in October 2009. Now, riding the wave of its success, Spring Storm by Tennessee Williams and Beyond the Horizon by Eugene O'Neill will transfer to the National Theatre from 24 March (with press performances on 7 April). The transfer will be a fitting finale to the 125th birthday celebrations of the Royal stage Northampton and is the latest in a string of successes for the theatre, which includes a triple win at the TMA Awards 2009.

Both plays contemplate critical life choices taken in youth and the conflict between duty and self-fulfilment. Beyond the Horizon, Eugene O'Neill's first full-length play was a sensation when first produced on Broadway in 1920, winning the 32 year old the Pulitzer Prize for drama. Largely forgotten since, it is considered by many to be the first modern American tragedy, paving the way for the poetic realism of Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller and Edward Albee. A tale of two brothers who love the same woman, this is a powerful story of youthful dreams crashing into reality and the human spirit being tested almost beyond endurance.

Tennessee Williams' Spring Storm was written whilst he was still a playwriting student at Iowa University, and was re-discovered among his papers in 1999. Full of the passion and anguish of young people thwarted in love, the young playwright's voice is already evident and the play prefigures characters in many of his later works. It follows the tale of the beautiful and charming Heavenly and her host of young male admirers. When forced to make a decision between her handsome and wild lover, Dick, and the seemingly respectable and sensitive Arthur, the consequences of her actions threaten to tear their lives apart.

Laurie Sansom, Artistic Director of the Royal & Derngate, will resume his role as director for Young America. The cast remains the same, including Liz White, who starred in Life on Mars and Mike Leigh's film Vera Drake, Michael Malarkey who made his professional debut in the Young America season last year and Michael Thomson whose theatre work includes Cameron in J. M. Barrie's Mary Rose (Nottingham Playhouse) and Toby Cole in David Hare's Amy's View (Salisbury Playhouse).

Laurie Sansom said, "I am thrilled to be bringing these two remarkable and relatively unknown plays to the National after such a great response to the season last year. This is a great time for Royal & Derngate; positive reviews for our last two seasons and a triple win at the TMA Awards - we are all looking forward to a successful 2010."

Tickets on sale from 17 February - for performances from 24 March to 19 June. To book please visit www.nationaltheatre.org.uk or call 020 7452 3000.

To post a comment, you must register and login.