York Theatre Royal collaborates with the National Theatre and Wise Children to stage Emma Rice’s production of Wuthering Heights

York Theatre Royal is to collaborate with the National Theatre and the Wise Children company on the world premiere of Emma Rice’s adaptation of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights.

Tom Bird, York Theatre Royal Executive Director, said: “We are overjoyed to be working with Wise Children and the National Theatre to bring this Yorkshire phenomenon to the stage. This will be the third installment – after Wise Children and Malory Towers – in our collaboration with Emma Rice’s groundbreaking company, and we can’t wait!”

Wise Children have announced that Wuthering Heights will be part of their 2020 season of work. With her trademark musical and visual style, Rice brings new life to the classic story in this elemental stage adaptation.

The co-production between Wise Children and the National Theatre is in association with York Theatre Royal, where Emma Rice’s Malory Towers is playing to packed houses this week.

The production of Wuthering Heights will come to York Theatre Royal in early 2021 as part of a UK tour after opening at the NT’s Lyttelton in autumn 2020.

Emma Rice said today, “I loved Wuthering Heights with a passion as a teenager. I thought it was a love story, a wild romance.  I now find little love within its pages, but these multi layered readings are what makes it such a fascinating story. My Wuthering Heights promises to be a revenge tragedy for our time – but it will also be about hope. I want to wrestle hatred to the earth and let a new story grow. Wild and fierce, elemental and true – I cannot wait to start work on this timeless classic. And that is theatre romance, right there!

“It is a privilege and a pleasure to be returning to the National Theatre after 12 years – and even more exciting to be returning with my new company Wise Children! This is an ambitious project with creative roots in Yorkshire and the South West – the National Theatre is the perfect place to nurture, create and home this special work.

“Even more thrilling to me is that this production will perform both on the South Bank and in venues across the UK. It is vitally important to both the National Theatre and Wise Children that we take work on the road and entertain audiences across the UK.”

Wise Children’s inaugural production of the critically acclaimed Wise Children will be screened in cinemas across the UK and Ireland from 3 October. The production was filmed during its run at York Theatre Royal earlier this year.