The Story Tickets at the National Theatre
Four reporters chase the same murder story, and each has to decide how far they will bend the truth to get it. Tracey Scott Wilson's newsroom thriller, in its UK premiere.
From £35About 2 hours 30 minutes, with an interval
At the Olivier Theatre, near WaterlooCloses 24 October 2026
Next available
Real people on the phone
020 7193 9050 · Monday to Saturday 8am to 8pm, Sunday 10am to 8pm
Help choosing your seat
Who's The Story For?
- Anyone who wants to see Letitia Wright on stage. The Black Panther star is making her National Theatre debut.
- People who like a plot that moves. It is built like a thriller, around a murder and a race for the scoop.
- Fans of plays about journalism and race, and anyone who remembers how newspapers ran before the internet.
- Not for you if you want a light night out. There are gunshots, strong language and themes of police brutality and sexual assault.
What Tickets Cost
The National's published prices for The Story run from around £30 up to around £110, across five price levels. Prices can move with demand, so the busiest dates tend to cost more. We sell with all-in pricing, the price you see is what you pay.
About The Story at the Olivier
The play first opened in the US in 2003 and this is its first staging in the UK. Clint Dyer, who made Death of England for the National, directs it on the Olivier stage, the largest of the three theatres in the building.
The production keeps the play's original period, before the internet and social media.
What's The Story About?
A white teacher is killed in a Black neighbourhood. Yvonne, a young reporter with big ambitions, has just joined a city newspaper and been placed on its Vanguard desk, a section set up to cover the Black community, run by a veteran of the Civil Rights movement named Pat. Yvonne wants the murder story, and so do three other reporters.
When new evidence changes the case, each of them has to decide what they are prepared to risk for their version of events.
The play was inspired by a real scandal. In 1980 a Washington Post reporter wrote about an eight-year-old heroin addict, won the Pulitzer Prize in April 1981, and handed it back days later when the story turned out to be invented. The Story takes that as a starting point rather than retelling it.
Performance Schedule
| Day | Matinee | Evening |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | See calendar | 7:30pm |
| Tuesday | See calendar | 7:30pm |
| Wednesday | See calendar | 7:30pm |
| Thursday | See calendar | 7:30pm |
| Friday | See calendar | 7:30pm |
| Saturday | 2:30pm | 7:30pm |
| Sunday | No performance | No performance |
Saturday matinees are confirmed; any weekday matinees show in the calendar when you book. Three evenings still to come start early, at 6:30pm: Thursday 1 October, Thursday 8 October and Tuesday 20 October. The last performance is Saturday 24 October 2026.
Best Seats for The Story
The Olivier is a fan-shaped theatre on two levels, with seats wrapped around an open stage. The middle of the Stalls is closest to the actors, and the front of the Circle gives the full picture of the stage from higher up. See the Olivier seating plan to compare them, or go straight to the Stalls or the Circle. Anyone who needs to avoid steps should read access at the Olivier before choosing.
Call 020 7193 9050 and we will match a seat to your budget.
Cast and Creative Team
Letitia Wright plays Yvonne and Lorraine Toussaint (Orange Is the New Black) plays Pat. Ashley Thomas is Neil, Wilf Scolding is Jeff and Aliyah Odoffin is Latisha. Directed by Clint Dyer, with set design by Anna Fleischle.
Book Your The Story Tickets
The run ends on Saturday 24 October. Tickets start from around £30, with all-in pricing, so the price you see is what you pay.
Book tickets • Call us on 020 7193 9050
Dates & tickets
FAQs
About 2 hours 30 minutes, with one interval.
None has been announced, so the closing date stands.
Unique Spencer, who also plays Adrienne. The National has published no scheduled absences for Wright.
No. It was inspired by the Janet Cooke case at the Washington Post in 1980 and 1981, but the characters and the murder are invented.
Tracey Scott Wilson, the American playwright. It was first staged in 2003.
Mixed. Critics praised the first half and Lorraine Toussaint, and had doubts about the second half. The News and Reviews tab has more.
The production gives none. The National does not admit under-4s to its theatres, and under-13s must be with an adult. There are gunshots, strong language, and themes of racism, police brutality and sexual assault.
Yes: flashing lights, haze, loud noises, strong language and gunshots, plus themes of racism, violence, police brutality and references to sexual assault.
The National says latecomers may not be admitted, and the production publishes no set point to let people in. Aim to arrive 30 minutes before, no later.
Yes, captioned, BSL-interpreted, audio-described and relaxed performances are all scheduled. The dates are in the Venue and Travel tab, and bookings go through the National's own access team.
Choosing Your Seats
The Olivier has two levels, the Stalls and the Circle, set in a wide fan around an open stage. The Story fills that stage with a big set and projected video.
- Stalls: the closest seats, and where you feel the pace of a thriller most. The middle block is the pick.
- Circle: higher up, a clear view of the whole stage, and a central seat here often costs less than one further back downstairs.
Row-by-row detail is in our Olivier Theatre guide. Prices run from around £30 to around £110.
Seating plan
Dates & tickets
Booking now
The Olivier Theatre
The Story plays at the Olivier, one of three theatres inside the National Theatre on the South Bank, SE1 9PX. Waterloo is the nearest station, about 5 to 7 minutes on foot, and the 139 and 76 buses stop on Waterloo Bridge, a couple of minutes from the main entrance. Full routes are in getting to the National Theatre, and our places to eat and drink nearby cover a meal before the show.
Arrive 30 minutes before, no later. It is a big building, the Olivier's entrances are on levels 2 and 3, and latecomers may not be let in.
Accessible Performances
- BSL-interpreted: Wednesday 14 October at 7:30pm
- Captioned: Saturday 10 October at 2:30pm and Wednesday 21 October at 7:30pm
- Relaxed: Saturday 17 October at 2:30pm
The run's audio described performances have passed, and smart caption glasses are not available for this production. Access bookings are handled by the National's own access team, not by us. More on the building in access at the Olivier.
Address
National Theatre, Upper Ground, South Bank, London SE1 9PX
Nearest Tube
Waterloo
The Story Cast
Letitia Wright as Yvonne, in her National Theatre debut. She won a BAFTA and is best known for Black Panther.
Lorraine Toussaint as Pat, the editor of the Vanguard desk. Ashley Thomas (Hostage) as Neil, Wilf Scolding (Cabaret) as Jeff and Aliyah Odoffin as Latisha, with Unique Spencer as Adrienne, Antonia Bernath as Jessica Dunn, Josh Goulding as Tim Dunn, Jay Simpson as Detective Williamson, Donna Augustin as Nurse Hill and Arianne Carless as Janice.
Creative Team
Written by Tracey Scott Wilson and directed by Clint Dyer. Set by Anna Fleischle, costumes by Natalie Pryce, lighting by Paul Anderson, and sound and additional music by Benjamin Grant. Video by Gino Ricardo Green and Tal Yarden.
What the Critics Said
The Story opened at the end of August and the reviews were mixed. Most critics were gripped by the first half, which moves fast and sets up the murder and the rivalry between the reporters, and felt the second half tries to take on too much. Where they agreed most was on Lorraine Toussaint: even the critics who liked the play least picked out her Pat as the performance holding it together.
Gallery
The Story
Olivier Theatre