Arcadia Tickets

Arcadia in London

Immerse yourself in the extraordinary, where brilliant ideas and burning hearts fuse, in Arcadia, coming to London this New Year. This revival of Tom Stoppard’s seminal play takes place at The Old Vic theatre, just around the corner from Waterloo Station, under the direction of acclaimed British director Carrie Cracknell. Arcadia “pits the classical against the romantic, science against poetry, the past against the present” (Guardian) - you won't want to miss this breathtaking new staging; secure your tickets today. 

What is the play Arcadia about? 

Set in a country house in Derbyshire, Arcadia follows two intertwined storylines across time. In the early 19th century, a teenage prodigy named Thomasina Coverly discovers mathematical truths about chaos and thermodynamics, while the adults around her - tutors, guests, and the household - attempt to discipline her passion with reason. Meanwhile, in the 1990s, scholars descend on the same estate, chasing the ghosts of that earlier era, seeking proof, revelation - and perhaps each other.

Pulsing with themes of order and disorder, the irreversible flow of time, the intersection of intellect and emotion, poetry and physics, Arcadia is brilliant, funny and deeply moving. This brand new revival marks the first time the production has been staged at the Old Vic, and uses the theatre’s new in‑the‑round staging to heighten the play’s sense of immersion and immediacy. 

The History of Arcadia

Arcadia premiered at the National Theatre Lyttelton stage in London on 13 April 1993, directed by Trevor Nunn. The play received widespread critical acclaim upon its premiere and went on to win the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play. Arcadia later received its first Broadway transfer at the Lincoln Centre Theatre in New York in 1995, and has been revived several times, including a major 2009 production at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London and a 2011 Broadway revival.

Arcadia is widely regarded as one of the most significant plays of the 20th Century, and in 2006, the Royal Institution recognised the play as one of the greatest science-related literary works ever written. This honour reflects the play’s extraordinary ability to weave complex scientific concepts - such as thermodynamics, chaos theory and fractals - into a compelling, emotionally resonant narrative.

Who are the cast of Arcadia? 

Casting for this production is to be announced. 

Who are the creative team of Arcadia? 

Carrie Cracknell directs, making her Old Vic debut. Cracknell became the youngest artistic director of a professional UK theatre when she co-led the Gate Theatre from 2007 to 2012. Her acclaimed work includes A Doll’s House at the Young Vic and West End, Medea and Julie both at the National Theatre, and the Netflix film Persuasion.

Arcadia is written by Tom Stoppard. Tom Stoppard is a Czech-born British playwright and screenwriter, widely regarded as one of the most influential dramatists of his generation. His major stage credits include Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Real Thing, The Invention of Love, Rock ’n’ Roll and Leopoldstadt. Stoppard has received numerous prestigious awards, including four Tony Awards for Best Play and an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Shakespeare in Love. He was knighted in 1997 for his services to drama.

Tickets for Arcadia at the Old Vic 

This landmark revival of acclaimed playwright Tom Stoppard’s most critically acclaimed work comes to London for a strictly limited run, directed by one of the UK's hottest young directors. Arcadia is where minds meet, loves blaze, and time unwinds and a “dazzling meditation on our endless search for understanding” (What’s on Stage). This production promises to be unmissable - books ticket for Arcadia at the Old Vic Theatre today.