National Theatre stages Tracey Scott Wilson’s ‘The Story’

Tracey Scott Wilson’s play, ‘The Story’, is currently being staged at the National Theatre’s Olivier stage. Set in 2003, the fast-paced journalistic thriller explores the coverage of a murder involving a white schoolteacher in a Black neighborhood of an unnamed American city.

The production focuses on the internal dynamics of a newspaper’s opinion section, ‘Vanguard’, and examines the professional and personal challenges faced by Black female journalists. The narrative follows ambitious young journalist Yvonne Wilson, played by Letitia Wright, and her complex relationship with her editor, Pat Johnson, played by Lorraine Toussaint.

Critical reviews highlight the play’s exploration of power, race, and institutional support. While some critics noted the challenges of staging the production on the large Olivier stage, others praised the performances and the play’s ability to raise questions regarding who controls the narrative and how ambition and race collide within the journalism industry.