War Horse to be staged in Milton Keynes

War Horse will open in Milton Keynes on Wednesday September 19 and run to SaturdayOctober 6 2018. Tickets will go on general sale on September 26 this year but booking is open to ATG Theatrecard members as of today (September 14).

The tour of War Horse coincides with the Centenary commemorations of the end of the First World War and follows the production’s enormously successful tour of the UK and Ireland in 2013-2014.

War Horse, which has been seen by over seven million people worldwide, completed its record-breaking eight year London run at the New London Theatre March 12 2016. It has won 25 awards including the Tony Award for Best Play on Broadway. Directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, Nick Stafford’s adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s remarkable story of courage, loyalty and friendship, about a young boy called Albert and his horse Joey, set against the backdrop of the First World War is the most successful play in the National Theatre’s history. It features ground-breaking puppetry work by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, which brings breathing, galloping horses to life on stage.

War Horse received its world premiere in 2007 at the National Theatre, where it played for two seasons before opening at the New London Theatre in March 2009. Since then, War Horse has been seen in 97 cities in 10 countries, including productions on Broadway, in Toronto and Berlin, with touring productions in the UK and Ireland, North America, the Netherlands and Belgium. A Chinese-language production opened in Beijing last year, and is currently running in Shanghai.

Michael Morpurgo said: "After a few months rest, out at pasture, Joey, the War Horse and his great team from the National Theatre, will be touring the UK again, from 2017 through to 2018 and the centenary of the end of the First World War, taking their show all over the country, to towns and cities, many of them places War Horse has not been seen before. I am so pleased this is happening - that so many more people will have the chance to enjoy this unique theatrical event. Steady boy, steady Joey. Trot on!'

War Horse is,designed by Rae Smith, with puppet direction, design and fabrication by Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler for Handspring Puppet Company, lighting by Paule Constable, and movement and horse choreography by Toby Sedgwick, with video design by Leo Warner and Mark Grimmer for 59 Productions, songmaker John Tams, music by Adrian Sutton and sound by Christopher Shutt.

War Horse is produced on tour by the National Theatre. Visit www.atgtickets.com/Miltonkeynes or call 0844 871 7652 to book.