REHEARSAL IMAGES RELEASED FOR RSC’S THE CHERRY ORCHARD
DOWNLOAD REHEARSAL IMAGES HERE
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) today release rehearsal images for the forthcoming production of The Cherry Orchard, in a version by Olivier Award-winning playwright Laura Wade from the play by Anton Chekhov, directed by RSC Co-Artistic Director Tamara Harvey.
The production stars Kenneth Branagh as Lopakhin, Helen Hunt as Madame Ranyevskaya and Bill Pullman as Gaev, alongside Chumisa Dornford-May as Anya, Alfred Enoch as Trofimov, Esther Smith as Varya and Sophie Stone as Sharlotta.
This new version of Chekhov’s final play sees Laura Wade reunited with Tamara Harvey following their critically acclaimed production of The Constant Wife, which premiered in the Swan Theatre last summer, and the Olivier Award-winning Home, I’m Darling.
The Cherry Orchard opens in the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon from Friday 10 July to Saturday 29 August, with press night on Tuesday 21 July.
Ranyevskaya and Lopakhin are giants at war over a cherished estate. Madame Ranyevskaya returns from five years in Paris to find her house crumbling under the weight of debt and memory and her beloved cherry orchard under threat. Attempting to mend her extravagance, Lopakhin, the son of a serf, insists that the family must sell it off.
Beyond the orchard, people are starving and the aristocracy is in decline. As auction day approaches the household begins to panic. In this collision of past and future, it’s dangerous to stand still when the world demands change.
The full company comprises: Rob Alexander-Adams (Passer By), Kenneth Branagh (Lopakhin), Chumisa Dornford-May (Anya), Michael Elwyn (Firs), Alfred Enoch (Trofimov), Amber Gadd (Dunyasha), Guy Henry (Pishchik), Helen Hunt (Ranyevskaya), Erin Siobhan Hutching (Ensemble), Julian Moore-Cook (Yasha), Bill Pullman (Gaev), Andy Rush (Yepikhodov), Esther Smith (Varya) and Sophie Stone (Sharlotta).
Joining Tamara Harvey and Laura Wade on the creative team are Set & Costume Designer, Anna Fleischle; Lighting Designer, Aideen Malone; Composer, Laura Rossi; Sound Designer, Claire Windsor; Movement Director, Annie-Lunnette Deakin-Foster; Fight Director, Alex Payne; Musical Director, Tomek Pieczora and Casting Director, Charlotte Sutton CDG.
ENDS
For press enquiries, please contact: Bethany Arnold, bethany.arnold@rsc.org.uk or Olivia Scull, Olivia.scull@rsc.org.uk
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LISTINGS
THE CHERRY ORCHARD
In a version by Laura Wade
From the play by Anton Chekhov
10 July – 29 August 2026
Press night: 21 July 2026
Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Tickets from £15
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
The work of the RSC is generously supported by Backstage Trust
With thanks to Season Supporter Charles Holloway OBE
The Cherry Orchard is supported by RSC Production Circle Supporters Brian and Kitty Dean, Marc and Rachel Polonsky, and Susan Tomasky and Ronald J Ungvarsky
The RSC Acting Companies are generously supported by The Gatsby Charitable Foundation
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 body for arts and culture across England, working to enrich people’s lives. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to visual art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2018 and 2022, we will invest £1.45 billion of public money from government and an estimated £860 million from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country. www.artscouncil.org.uk
