W&L Presents Screening of the West End’s ‘Present Laughter’ The Nov. 4 screening features Andrew Scott in a Laurence Olivier Award-winning performance from the play’s 2019 run.

Andrew Scott in “Present Laughter,” directed by Matthew Warchus at The Old Vic (2019). Photo by Manuel Harlan.

The Lenfest Center for the Arts at Washington and Lee University continues its National Theatre Live series with a screening of “Present Laughter” at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 4 in Stackhouse Theater in Elrod Commons.

The screening of “Present Laughter” is the next installment of the Lenfest Center’s Outreach & Engagement (O&E) series. Tickets are required and can be purchased online or in person at the Lenfest Box Office.

W&L’s National Theatre Live series features screenings of seven top British theater productions, connecting university knowledge and art experiences on the W&L campus and beyond to the local community in a mutually beneficial partnership. Most recently, “Vanya” was screened on Oct. 7; future screenings from the series include “Dr. Strangelove” on Jan. 20, 2026, and “A Streetcar Named Desire” on Feb. 10.

Starring Andrew Scott in a Laurence Olivier Award-winning performance as Garry Essendine, Noel Coward’s 1939 play is a giddy and modern reflection on fame, desire and loneliness. As star actor Garry prepares to embark on an overseas tour, his colorful life is in danger of spiraling out of control. Engulfed by an escalating identity crisis as his many and varied relationships compete for attention, Garry’s few remaining days at home are a chaotic whirlwind of love, sex, panic and soul-searching.

Filmed live during its 2019 run at The Old Vic on London’s West End, “Present Laughter” is directed by Matthew Warchus.

Order your tickets online today or call the Lenfest Center box office at 540-458-8000 for ticket information. Box office hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The cost is $20 for general admission and $8 for W&L students.

The National Theatre Live performances are sponsored in part by the Class of 1964 Performing Arts Fund.

For a full list of this season’s performances, visit the Lenfest Center’s website.

The Lenfest Center for the Arts, home of the Department of Theater, Dance, and Film Studies and the Department of Music and Department of Art and Art History, is a multi-use facility designed and equipped to accommodate a broad spectrum of the performing arts, including theater, musical theater, opera and operetta, choral and band music, dance and performance art in one energizing complex.