With exciting new writing, sexual politics on tour and the World Shakespeare Festival bringing productions of Shakespeare from across the globe, 2012 will be an exciting year at the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Here is a round-up of some of the productions the year will bring.
The Taming of the Shrew (Stratford-upon-Avon, from 19 January, then on tour)
Following her acclaimed production of Julius Caesar in 2009/10, Lucy Bailey directs Shakespeare's romantic comedy exploring love, sexual politics and the art of illusion.
The Heresy of Love (from 2 February, Stratford-upon-Avon)
Helen Edmundson (who adapted the current West End production of Swallows and Amazons) was inspired by the life of the legendary Mexican Nun poet, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz to write her new play The Heresy of Love, directed by Nancy Meckler. Watch The Heresy of Love interview.
What Country Friends is This? (Stratford-upon-Avon, from March, London, from June)
RSC Associate Director, David Farr, leads a trilogy of plays, set in a world of shipwreck, grief, laughter, love and reunion. Part of the World Shakespeare Festival, it comprises Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors, The Tempest and Twelfth Night. Read the What Country Friends is This blog.
Nations at War (Stratford-upon-Avon, from March)
RSC Associate Director, Roxana Silbert, leads Nations at War, three plays exploring the struggle for absolute power and the right to lead a nation, including Shakespeare's Richard III and King John as well as the world premiere of A Soldier in Every Son – An Aztec Trilogy by Luis Mario Moncada – a co-production with the National Theatre of Mexico.
Julius Caesar (Stratford-upon-Avon, from 28 May, then Newcastle and London)
Chief Associate Director, Gregory Doran, directs a brand new pan-African production of Julius Caesar, one of Shakespeare's greatest political thrillers.
Romeo and Juliet in Baghdad (Stratford-upon-Avon, from April, then London from June)
Baghdad's Iraqi Theatre Company creates Romeo and Juliet for a new generation, infused with Iraq's rich traditions of poetry, music and ritual.
Two Roses for Richard III (Stratford-upon-Avon and London, from May)
From Brazil, Companhia BufoMecânica combines Shakespeare's text with circus, multimedia, visual metaphor and aerial choreography. Inspired by Shakespeare's history plays, the bloody events of War of the Roses are vividly reimagined.
Much Ado About Nothing (Stratford-upon-Avon – from 26 July, then London)
A vibrant and colourful production, directed by Iqbal Kahn, will transpose Shakespeare's vivacious, and at times unsettling comedy of love and deceit to an Indian setting. Meera Syal will play Beatrice.
Troilus and Cressida (Stratford-upon-Avon, from 3 August)
RSC Associate Director Rupert Goold and Elizabeth LeCompte co-direct Shakespeare's epic Trojan play about love, war and politics with an Anglo-American company in a ground-breaking, multimedia collaboration between the RSC and The Wooster Group.
What's on at the RSC
Photo: actors in rehearsal for Twelfth Night.