On 15 September 2008, capitalism came to a grinding halt. As sub-prime mortgages and toxic securities continued to dominate the headlines, the National Theatre asked playwright David Hare to write an urgent and immediate work to be staged in autumn 2009 that sought to find out what had happened and why.

After meeting with key players from the financial world, Hare has created The Power Of Yes, subtitled ‘A dramatist seeks to understand the financial crisis’, an account of how, as the banks went bust, capitalism was replaced by a socialism that bailed out the rich alone. 

Hare is the author of numerous plays for the National Theatre including Gethsemane, staged last year, Stuff Happens, The Permanent Way, Amy’s View, Skylight, The Secret Rapture and Pravda. The Vertical Hour premiered at the Royal Court. 

Jackson, director of The Power Of Yes, has directed Elmina’s Kitchen and Fix Up at the National, plus many productions at Chichester Festival Theatre where he is associate director. 

For more about The Power Of Yes at the National Theatre, Lyttelton, read the First Night Feature.