Black Panther star Letitia Wright makes National Theatre debut in newsroom thriller about race and truth
The actor plays a reporter prepared to defy her editor in The Story, Tracey Scott Wilson’s drama about four journalists chasing a headline after a white teacher is killed in a Black neighbourhood.
Black Panther star Letitia Wright is making her National Theatre debut in a newsroom thriller about what happens when journalists become so determined to get a story that the truth starts to get in the way.
Wright plays Yvonne, an ambitious Black reporter who goes against her editor to pursue an incendiary lead in The Story, the UK premiere of American playwright Tracey Scott Wilson’s drama.
The action begins after a white teacher is killed in a Black neighbourhood. Four journalists race to establish what happened and secure the headline, but new evidence draws them deeper into the case and forces each to confront how far they are prepared to go for their version of events.
The result is a drama that puts the pressures of modern journalism alongside questions of race, power and accountability. At its centre is the tension between the truth and the version of events that makes the strongest story.
Wright is joined by Lorraine Toussaint, known for Orange Is the New Black, as Pat, while Ashley Thomas plays Neil. Aliyah Odoffin plays Latisha and Wilf Scolding plays Jeff. The wider cast includes Antonia Bernath, Josh Goulding, Jay Simpson and Unique Spencer, with a nine-member ensemble.
The production is directed by National Theatre Associate Artist Clint Dyer, whose work includes the Death of England trilogy. Anna Fleischle designs the set, with costumes by Natalie Pryce, lighting by Paul Anderson and sound by Benjamin Grant.
For Wright, the production adds a major London stage debut to a screen career that has included the Black Panther films and Black Mirror, as well as her BAFTA-winning performance in Black Mirror.
Wilson’s play was first produced in the United States and arrives at the National Theatre as a contemporary newsroom drama rather than a conventional courtroom or crime story. The journalists are not simply reporting on the case. Their own decisions become part of the story.
The Story runs at the Olivier theatre at the National Theatre from 27 August to 24 October 2026.
The Story
Olivier Theatre, National Theatre
Upper Ground, South Bank, London SE1 9PX
27 August to 24 October 2026
Monday to Saturday, 7.30pm
Wednesday and Saturday matinees, 2.30pm
Tickets available from the National Theatre: nationaltheatre.org.uk .
Elena Leo is the Culture & Lifestyle Editor of Ikon London Magazine.
