article: The announcement came as the London venue unveiled its new programme which includes plays starring Ralph Fiennes, Andrew Garfield and Tamsin Greig. NT boss Rufus Norris said Sunday performances would stop because they were "always the last performances to sell". The last Sunday show will be Damon Albarn's musical Wonder.land in April. Sunday performances in the Olivier and Lyttelton theatres began in 2008 and took place about 35 weeks a year. Norris said the decision to stop them was taken after the theatre "looked very carefully at the evidence over the last few years". Giving more detail, executive director Lisa Burger said: "The fact is that there aren't as many audiences coming to Sunday performances. "Given the tight financial situation that we are in we decided that was one of the things we had to give up." The NT building on the South Bank will, however, remain open to the public on Sundays over the summer. Among the plays coming up at the National's Olivier theatre is Twelfth Night in February 2017 - with Tamsin Greig turning the traditionally male role of Malvolio into Malvolia. "That play is about lots of gender confusion anyway," Norris said. There will be more Shakespeare in early 2018 when Ralph Fiennes will star in Antony and Cleopatra. The role of Cleopatra is yet to be cast. Other highlights include: Norris described the blend of re-imagined popular classics, new plays and musical pieces as "hopefully a broad programme which will underline our commitment that we believe that theatre is for everyone".
summary: The National Theatre has decided to axe Sunday performances due to its "tight financial situation".