Birdsong to embark on new tour this autumn

Sebastian Faulks’s Birdsong, adapted by Rachel Wagstaff and directed by Alastair Whatley, will embark on a new tour this autumn.

Faulks’s World War One tale returns to the stage in a brand-new production for 2024, marking the 30th anniversary of the best-selling novel. It will open at Salisbury Playhouse (6 to 14 September), before visiting Leeds Playhouse (17 to 21 September), Cambridge Arts Theatre (23 to 28 September), Liverpool Playhouse Theatre (8 to 12 October), Theatre Royal Nottingham (15 to 19 October), Everyman Theatre Cheltenham (22 to 26 October), Chichester Festival Theatre (4 to 9 November), Norwich Theatre Royal (12 to 16 November), and Malvern Theatre (19 to 23 November).

Design is by Richard Kent, lighting by Jason Taylor, sound by Dominic Bilkey, composition by Sophie Cotton, and casting by Ellie Collyer-Bristow (CDG).

Faulks said today: “A new version of the play to mark the 30th anniversary of the book’s publication? Can it be even better than the last one? I can’t wait to see!”

Wagstaff added: “I am thrilled that Original Theatre will be bringing Birdsong to the stage again, in this brand new production. I fell in love with Sebastian Faulks’s novel, Birdsong, many years ago and, if anything, that love has only grown stronger over the years – the sign of a true masterpiece. It was such a pleasure going back to the novel and to the script, with everything I have gleaned from previous productions. This new production promises to burst with life, and this remarkable book’s message feels more relevant than ever, at a time when we all hope that love and peace will triumph over the horrors of war.”

The producers will be working in partnership with the Royal British Legion, with associated fundraising details to be announced in due course.