Dear Octopus
by Dodie Smith
Booking and details
The family, from whose tentacles we can never quite escape
When a golden wedding anniversary reunites the Randolph family on the eve of WWII, Dora and Charles must reckon with the adults their children have become. Their children, meanwhile, are haunted by the memory of the family they once were.
As the weekend’s celebrations unfold, the family walks a tightrope between intimacy and estrangement, camaraderie and rivalry, love and hate.
Heartbreaking and joyful, this captivating revival of Dodie Smith’s (I Capture the Castle) play is a moving dissection of family and what it means to grow up and return home.
Lindsay Duncan (Hansard) plays Dora in this beautiful, contemporary production, directed by Emily Burns (Jack Absolute Flies Again).
Performed 7 February — 27 March 2024 in the Lyttelton Theatre.
Suitability
Please note: this production contains themes of familial bereavement and death.
Gallery
Production Images
Video
Cast includes
Amaia Naima Aguinaga
For the National Theatre: Dear Octopus
Alice Bounsall
For the National Theatre: Dear Octopus and The Lehman Trilogy in the West End (2019)
Bessie Carter
For the National Theatre: Dear Octopus
Pandora Colin
For the National Theatre: Dear Octopus, After the Dance, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Some Trace of Her and Women of Troy
Miriam Cooper
For the National Theatre: Dear Octopus and Hedda Gabler
Bethan Cullinane
For the National Theatre: Dear Octopus and The Visit, or the old lady comes to call
Lindsay Duncan
For the National Theatre: Dear Octopus, Hansard, The Homecoming, Berenice, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Prince of Homburg and Plenty
Kate Fahy
For the National Theatre: Dear Octopus, Bouncing and Sunday Morning
Tom Glenister
For the National Theatre: Dear Octopus and Dear England
Jo Herbert
For the National Theatre: Dear Octopus and 3 Winters
Billy Howle
For the National Theatre: Dear Octopus
Ethan Hughes
For the National Theatre: The LeftBehinds and Dear Octopus
Deven Modha
For the National Theatre: Dear Octopus
Syakira Moeladi
For the National Theatre: Dear Octopus
Amy Morgan
For the National Theatre: Dear Octopus, Exit the King and The Beaux’ Stratagem
Celia Nelson
For the National Theatre: Dear Octopus and The House of Bernarda Alba
Dharmesh Patel
For the National Theatre: Dear Octopus and Slow Time
Malcolm Sinclair
For the National Theatre: Dear Octopus, The Doctor’s Dilemma, King James Bible Readings, The Habit of Art, The Power of Yes, The History Boys (also on tour and Broadway), Luther, House and Garden, Racing Demon and The Misanthrope
Natalie Thomas
For the National Theatre: Dear Octopus, Earthquakes in London and After the Dance
John Vernon
For the National Theatre: The Importance of Being Earnest, Coriolanus, London Tide, Dear Octopus and The Red Lion
The role of Flouncy is played by:
Kalyani D’Ambra
Kalyani D’Ambra trains in singing, dancing and acting. Her work in theatre includes Les Misérables on UK tour.
Ariella Elkins-Green
Ariella Elkins-Green’s work in theatre includes Great British Bake Off – The Musical at the Everyman, Cheltenham. TV includes The Beaker Girls and Outlaws. Film includes An Enemy Within.
Asha Sthanakiya
Asha Sthanakiya’s work in theatre includes The Visit, or the old lady comes to call at the National Theatre; and Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed at the Orchestra (as Beano Bedtime Reader) at the Royal Festival Hall.
The role of Kathleen ‘Scrap’ Kenton is played by:
Serena Guo
Serena Guo trains in acting and ballet. Dear Octopus is her professional theatre debut.
Isla Ithier
Isla Ithier trains in singing, dancing and acting. Her work in theatre includes Annie Jr The Musical for the British Theatre Academy; and Kin The Musical in the West End. Other credits include a solo performance at the Theatre Café in the West End and various TV projects.
Molly Jin
Molly Jin’s work in theatre includes Nativity! The Musical at Birmingham Rep. Opera includes Cavalleria rusticana / Pagliacci at the Royal Opera House.
The role of Bill is played by:
Ashwin Sakthivel
Dear Octopus is Ashwin Sakthivel’s professional theatre debut. TV includes Pip and Posy, The Smeds and the Smoos, Brave Bunnies, Lagging, Dodger: Easter Special and the upcoming Pradeeps of Pittsburgh. He has just finished working on his first feature film.
Tarun Sivakanesh
Dear Octopus is Tarun Sivakanesh’s professional theatre debut. TV includes The Beaker Girls and Ritches. Film includes Enola Holmes 2 and Pinocchio.
Felix Tandon
Dear Octopus is Felix Tandon’s professional theatre debut. TV includes Tabby McTat, Little Baby Bum – Music Time, Pip and Posy and Superworm.
Production team
Director
Emily Burns
Emily Burns
For the National Theatre: as director, Dear Octopus and Jack Absolute Flies Again; as associate director, Antony and Cleopatra and Hansard
Set and Costume Designer
Frankie Bradshaw
Frankie Bradshaw
For the National Theatre: Alterations, Dear Octopus, Blues for an Alabama Sky and Shakespeare for young audiences: Hamlet (also on a UK schools tour)
Lighting Designer
Oliver Fenwick
Oliver Fenwick
For the National Theatre: Alterations, Dear Octopus, The Father and the Assassin, Blues for an Alabama Sky, Kerry Jackson, Tartuffe – the Imposter, The Great Wave, Ugly Lies the Bone, The Motherf*cker with the Hat, The Holy Rosenbergs and Happy Now
Etiquette
Lucy Cullingford
Lucy Cullingford
For the National Theatre: Dear Octopus, The Father and the Assassin, All of Us, Death of England and The Winter’s Tale
Sound Designer
Tingying Dong
Tingying Dong
For the National Theatre: London Tide, Dear Octopus and The Crucible (also in the West End)
Composer
Music Director
David Shrubsole
David Shrubsole
For the National Theatre: A Tupperware of Ashes, Dear Octopus, The Father and the Assassin, The Great Wave, My Country; a work in progress, The Threepenny Opera, Table, London Road, The Magistrate, She Stoops to Conquer, Major Barbara, The Enchantment, The Alchemist and My Fair Lady
Casting Director
Bryony Jarvis-Taylor
Bryony Jarvis-Taylor
For the National Theatre: Coriolanus, London Tide, Dear Octopus, Roald Dahl’s The Witches, The Odyssey, Dear England (also in the West End), Dixon and Daughters, Romeo and Julie, Much Ado About Nothing, Trouble in Mind, Hex, After Life, Dick Whittington, The Visit, My Brilliant Friend and Peter Gynt
Company Voice Work
Shereen Ibrahim
Shereen Ibrahim
For the National Theatre: company voice work includes The Importance of Being Earnest, Coriolanus, The Grapes of Wrath, Underdog: The Other Other Brontë, Dear Octopus, Dear England, Dixon and Daughters, The Odyssey, Hamlet, The Crucible, Jack Absolute Flies Again and The Father and the Assassin (also dialect work); dialect work for Standing at the Sky’s Edge, All of Us and Our Generation; and acting work in The Black Album and The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other
Company Voice Work
Staff Director
Júlia Levai
Júlia Levai
For the National Theatre: Coriolanus and Dear Octopus (as staff director)
Associate Sound Designer
Joel Price
Joel Price
For the National Theatre: Dear Octopus; as sound designer, Up Next Gala 2024, Perspective, I Want My Hat Back, A Declaration from the People and Young Patron’s Gala
Photography (Lindsay Duncan) by Kelvin Murray.