The National Theatre’s Bacchae to reach Kent students this week through new Marlowe Theatre partnership
Mon 28 Sep 2026This is the first National Theatre schools tour as part of National Theatre Nationwide, a landmark partnership with 12 leading theatres across all nine regions of England, dedicated to ensuring parity of access to arts and culture and enriching people’s lives wherever they live.
As part of the partnership, an annual National Theatre schools tour will deliver an original, curriculum-linked production directly into secondary schools across the county. The first tour of the partnership, the National Theatre’s Bacchae, kicks off in Kent this week.
Rehearsals for the schools tour of Bacchae. Photo by Marc Brenner.
Deborah Shaw, Chief Executive at the Marlowe Theatre, said: “We’re thrilled to be part of the National Theatre’s major regional partnership. Giving young people the chance to experience specially created work from the National Theatre in their schools and colleges is a tremendous investment in the future, helping us inspire creativity and champion arts education across Kent.”
The partnership activity also includes major National Theatre productions visiting the Marlowe Theatre. Together, these initiatives aim to strengthen touring across the UK and give young people valuable opportunities to experience curriculum-linked theatre in their own schools.
The National Theatre’s production of Bacchae, a new adaptation of Euripides’ ancient Greek tragedy created for educational settings, will visit Rainham Mark Grammar School, Brockhill Park Performing Arts College, Dover Grammar School for Boys and Thamesview School. Performances will be staged in school halls for students from the host schools, as well as pupils from neighbouring schools.
Working in partnership with the National Theatre, the Marlowe Theatre will host the opening week of the Nationwide Schools Tour in Kent. From Monday 28 September to Friday 2 October, the production will be performed in four Kent schools, reaching more than 1,500 young people. The eight-week tour will then continue through partnerships with regional theatres across England, reaching 7,000 young people from more than 60 schools and colleges.
Following Bacchae’s debut at the National Theatre as part of Indhu Rubasingham’s inaugural season, writer Nima Taleghani joins director Hannah Hauer-King to create an adapted version of the 2025 main stage play in a new production, specially made for schools. This exciting new version brings the ancient Greek tragedy to life through rhythm, movement and music, exploring questions of power, identity, belonging and what happens when established ideas are challenged.
Premi Tamang (Nava), Senam Akpokavi (Dionysos), Emma Manton (Agave) and Jessica Alade (Demi) in rehearsals for National Theatre Bacchae schools tour. Photo by Marc Brenner.
Writer Nima Taleghani said, “I never felt theatre needed to differentiate so heavily between work for young people and adults, low brow and high brow, accessible and elite. I always wanted to make something for community, that reflected reality, something grassroots and authentic: Bacchae Schools Tour is the play finally coming HOME.”
Director Hannah Hauer-King said, “Bacchae is a piece that encourages audiences to be suspicious of polarities, to embrace those that may appear different to us, and to question those who impose power. Nima Taleghani’s brilliant adaptation shines a contemporary light on these themes, giving particular focus to the desire of everyone, even a God, to feel like they belong. It feels like the perfect show to take into schools – not only speaking to issues that impact young people today, but also through a classic text that may otherwise seem inaccessible or ‘not for them’. I can’t wait to see it reach an audience that otherwise may not have access to the National Theatre.”
In addition to seeing the show in their school hall, students will take part in interactive workshops exploring stage design and theatre-making skills. Alumni from the National Theatre’s Introduction to Stage Management and Young Technicians initiatives will take on placements to support the tour, putting into practise the technical skills they have learnt through the programmes.
The Kent schools’ leg, delivered in partnership with the Marlowe Theatre, forms part of the national tour, which also works with Norwich Theatre; Birmingham Hippodrome; Wolverhampton Grand Theatre; Newcastle Theatre Royal; Belgrade Theatre, Coventry; Theatre Royal, Nottingham; Leicester Curve; The Lowry; and Sheffield Theatres.