Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss to alternate roles in ELECTRA/PERSONA

Shehrazade Zafar-Arif 13 August, 2026, 13:33

Full casting has been announced for Electra/Persona at the National Theatre, with Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss to alternate in the lead roles. A first look at the two actresses in rehearsals has also been shared.

Cate Blanchett and Nina Ross in rehearsal for Electra/Persona. Photo by Monika Rittershaus

Benedict Andrews’ (A Streetcar Named Desire) thrilling production blends ancient myth and modern psychology in this fusion of Sophocles's Electra with Ingmar Bergman's Persona, in which an actress suddenly falls silent during a performance of Electra, leading to an unsettling, intense encounter between two women.

Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss will alternate the roles of Electra/Elisabeth and Clytemnestra/Alma. They are joined in the cast by Ella Lily Hyland as Chrysothemis/Reader and Patrick Robinson as Aegisthus/Husband.

The creative team includes set designer Magda Willi, costume designer Merle Hensel, composer Hildur Guðnadóttir, lighting designer Jon Clark, sound designer Brendan Aanes, video designer Ash J Woodward, fight and intimacy directors Rachel Bown-Williams and Ruth Cooper-Brown of Rc-Annie Ltd, and casting director Alastair Coomer.

Electra/Persona will have its world premiere in the Lyttelton Theatre from 19 August to 10 October 2026, with a press night on 1 September.

Electra/Persona Tickets