FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR RSC’S TWELFTH NIGHT AT THE BARBICAN
FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR RSC’S TWELFTH NIGHT AT THE BARBICAN
DATE ISSUED: 6 NOVEMBER 2025
TWELFTH NIGHT
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Prasanna Puwanarajah
Barbican, London
Monday 8 December 2025 – Saturday 17 January 2026
Press Night: Tuesday 16 December, 7pm
Box Office: rsc.org.uk, 01789 331111
DOWNLOAD HEADSHOTS HERE
DOWNLOAD PRODUCTION IMAGES FROM THE 2024 PRODUCTION HERE
The Royal Shakespeare Company today announces the full cast for its acclaimed production of Twelfth Night, directed by Prasanna Puwanarajah, which transfers to the Barbican from Monday 8 December 2025 to Saturday 17 January 2026. The press performance will take place on Tuesday 16 December at 7pm.
Gwyneth Keyworth (Death Valley, Misfits) is set to reprise her critically acclaimed role as Viola and will be joined by Daniel Monks (Pulse, Teenage Dick) who makes his RSC debut as Orsino.
They join the previously announced cast members Freema Agyeman (Doctor Who, New Amsterdam) as Olivia, Michael Grady-Hall (Venice Preserved, Imperium) as Feste and Samuel West (Slow Horses, All Creatures Great and Small) as Malvolio.
After a sold-out, five-star run in Stratford-upon-Avon, where Puwanarajah won the UK Theatre Award for Best Director, the production now transfers to London. Featuring striking designs by James Cotterill, this acclaimed staging continues with a blend of returning favourites and new talent.
Director, Prasanna Puwanarajah said, “I’m delighted that our production of Twelfth Night is coming back to life this winter. The Stratford run was busy and buzzy and the Barbican is such an iconic place to play a Shakespeare play. I’m looking forward to getting back in the rehearsal room with this incredible company of performers and creatives, including new family member Daniel Monks this time around. Christmas is a time of year to be together and laugh, and also to remember people. I’m so happy to say that this production really delivered this for audiences last year. Please come and see us and bring those you know and love."
The full cast comprises: Freema Agyeman (Olivia), Emily Benjamin (Priest), Norman Bowman (Antonio), George Fletcher (Second Officer/Orsino’s Attendant), Demetri Goritsas (Sir Andrew Aguecheek), Michael Grady-Hall (Feste), Danielle Henry (Maria), Gwyneth Keyworth (Viola), Michael Lyle (First Officer/Orsino’s Attendant), Cat McKeever (Sea Captain), Daniel Millar (Fabian), Reece Miller (Orsino’s Attendant), Daniel Monks (Orsino), Charlotte O’Leary (Olivia’s Woman), Thom Petty (Curio), Rhys Rusbatch (Sebastian), Joplin Sibtain (Sir Toby Belch), Tom Sowinski (Orsino’s Attendant), Samuel West (Malvolio) and David Whitworth (Valentine).
The creative team reunites under Puwanarajah’s direction. It consists of Lighting Designers Bethany Gupwell and Zoe Spurr, Composer Matt Maltese, Sound Designer George Dennis, Movement Director Polly Bennett, Casting Director Matthew Dewsbury CDG and Associate Director Zoë Templeman-Young.
- ENDS -
For more information or media enquiries related to Twelfth Night please contact:
Olivia Scull, Media Relations Officer - Olivia.scull@rsc.org.uk
LISTING INFORMATION
Twelfth Night
Barbican, London
Monday 8 December 2025 – Saturday 17 January 2026
Press Night: Tuesday 16 December, 7pm
https://www.rsc.org.uk/twelfth-night/
A woman survives a shipwreck and washes up on an unknown shore. Alone and bereaved of her twin brother, she embarks on a secret new life as a go-between for two people in the extremity of love and grief. Caught up in the ensuing love triangle she experiences the chaos and humanity of unexpected love; and she discovers that in Illyria, everyone is hiding something.
NOTES TO EDITORS
The RSC is supported using public funding by Arts Council England
The work of the RSC is supported by the Culture Recovery Fund
The RSC is generously supported by RSC America
With thanks to Season Supporter Charles Holloway OBE
Twelfth Night is supported by RSC Production Circle Supporter Peggy Czyzak-Dannenbaum
RSC £10 Tickets for 16-25s supported by TikTok
The RSC Acting Companies are generously supported by The Gatsby Charitable Foundation
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s mission is to bring people together to experience stories that deepen our understanding of ourselves, each other and the world around us, and that bring joy. Shakespeare’s restless exploration of all of human nature is our inspiration and touchstone.
The Company’s roots lie in the bold vision of a local brewer, Edward Fordham Flower, who in 1879 established a theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon with his son Charles. The RSC as we know it today was formed by Sir Peter Hall, whose ambition was to produce new plays alongside those of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. We continue this today across our three permanent theatres in Stratford – the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, the Swan Theatre and The Other Place – and indeed online and around the globe. We believe everybody’s life can be enriched by culture and creativity. Our transformative Creative Learning and Engagement programmes reach over half a million young people and adults each year. We have collaborated with generations of the very best theatre makers and we continue to nurture the talent of the future.
Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. We have set out our strategic vision in Let’s Create that by 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has access to a remarkable range of high-quality cultural experiences. We invest public money from Government and The National Lottery to help support the sector and to deliver this vision. www.artscouncil.org.uk. Following the Covid-19 crisis, the Arts Council developed a £160 million Emergency Response Package, with nearly 90% coming from the National Lottery, for organisations and individuals needing support. We are also one of the bodies responsible for administering the Government’s unprecedented Culture Recovery Fund, of which we delivered over £1 billion to the sector in grants and loans. Find out more at www.artscouncil.org.uk/covid19.
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