The hour before actors go on stage at the National Theatre in London is a performance in and of itself.

The youngest of King Triton’s daughters, and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea, and while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. With mermaids forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land, but ultimately places her life – and her father’s crown – in jeopardy.

Ex-con Clarkie is betrayed by his best friend, he has no one to turn to as he tracks down his brother's killers. The war spills onto London's mean streets. If Clarkie makes one false move he is...DEADMEAT.

A period adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. After a change in circumstances, Marianne is torn between two men, while Elinor longs for a man beyond reach.

A full-throttle war play that revels in the sweat of the battlefield, Coriolanus transports us back to the emergence of the republic of Rome.Caius Martius Coriolanus is a fearless soldier but a reluctant leader. His ambitious mother attempts to carve him a path to political power, but he struggles to change his nature and do what is required to achieve greatness. In this new city state struggling to find its feet, where the gap between rich and poor is widening every day, Coriolanus must decide who he really is and where his allegiances lie.Rome Season Director, Angus Jackson, completes the Royal Shakespeare Company’s collection of Shakespeare’s Roman plays with a visceral production which sees Sope Dirisu (One Night in Miami, Donmar Warehouse, 2016) take on the title role.

In London, just a few years from now, the government have enforced a curfew - no civilians on the streets after dark. A terrorist group have threatened to release a killer virus. Time is running out for the FEDZ.

A rich tapestry of image, music and poetry is interwoven in this powerful meditation on Black resilience.

The first installment of Phyllida Lloyd’s groundbreaking all-female Shakespeare Trilogy sees Harriet Walter take on the role of Brutus, who wrestles with his moral conscience over the murder of Julius Caesar.

A woman during the Second World War opens her heart to an evacuee after initially resolving to be rid of him.

Marking Play for Today’s 50th anniversary, Drama Out of a Crisis is a compelling exploration of the series, its origins, achievements, controversies and legacies. Featuring a rich and surprising range of archive extracts and original interviews with many who created the series, including producers Kenith Trodd, Margaret Matheson and Richard Eyre, and directors Mike Leigh, David Hare and Ken Loach.