Death of England, starring Olivier nominee Rafe Spall, opens February 6 at the Dorfman Theatre in London’s National Theatre complex.

Roy Williams and Clint Dyer’s solo one-act, written specifically for Spall (Hedda Gabler, Betrayal), follows a man at his father’s funeral as he gives a speech about the man and the country that raised him. The work explores identity, race, and class in Britain.

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Dyer also directs the play, becoming the first Black British artist to have performed, written, and directed a full-scale production at the National Theatre. The multi-hyphenate played Cutler in the National’s revival of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom in 2016.

Serving on the creative team are set and costume designers Sadeysa Greenaway-Bailey and ULTZ, lighting designer Jackie Shemesh, sound designers Pete Malkin and Benjamin Grant, staff director Sian Ejiwunmi-Le Berre, dialect coach Hazel Holder, and production design assistant Shankho Chaudhuri, with movement by Lucy Cullingford. Cary Crankson (Children of Darkness) serves as the understudy to Spall.