The National Theatre has announced full casting for Benedict Andrews’ new play Electra/Persona, starring Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss in alternating leading roles. The production, merging Sophocles’ Electra with Ingmar Bergman’s Persona, premieres in the Lyttelton Theatre this August.

Electra/Persona, written and directed by Benedict Andrews, will receive its world premiere at the National Theatre’s Lyttelton stage from 19 August to 10 October 2026, with a press night scheduled for 1 September. The play combines Sophocles’ classic tragedy Electra with Bergman’s iconic film Persona, exploring themes of identity and the relationship between performer and role.

Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss will alternate the dual roles of Electra/Elisabeth and Clytemnestra/Alma throughout the run. They are joined by Ella Lily Hyland, who plays Chrysothemis/Reader, and Patrick Robinson as Aegisthus/Husband. Understudies include Peter Eastland, Frankie Lipman, Celia Nelson and Natalie Thomas.

The production’s narrative centres on a moment during a performance of Electra when an actress abruptly falls silent. This silence triggers an intense and unsettling encounter between two women, where speech breaks down and the dividing line between self and role begins to dissolve.

Benedict Andrews also oversees a creative team featuring Magda Willi on set design and Merle Hensel on costumes. Composer Hildur Guðnadóttir provides the score, while Jon Clark and Brendan Aanes design lighting and sound respectively. Ash J Woodward is responsible for video design, with fight and intimacy direction led by Rachel Bown-Williams and Ruth Cooper-Brown.

Additional creative support includes casting director Alastair Coomer, voice coach Cathleen McCarron, associate director Danica Selem, and associate lighting designer Skylar Turnbull Hurd. Music associate Deanna H Choi and staff director Oliver Hurst complete the team.

This production marks a collaboration between notable theatre practitioners and internationally acclaimed actors, positioning itself as a meditation on identity and performance within the contemporary theatrical landscape.