ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY ANNOUNCES 2026 SEASON
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The RSC announces full details of its Spring 2026 season, which sees multi award-winning actor and filmmaker Kenneth Branagh make a return to Stratford-upon-Avon for the first time in over 30 years, alongside Academy Award-winning actress Helen Hunt and double Olivier Award-winning actor Mark Gatiss in their RSC debuts.
The season features five productions, including a landmark staging of Shakespeare’s late masterpiece, two European classics urgently retold for today, an innovative new co-production with the UK’s leading theatre for young audiences, and an award-nominated debut play. The programme brings together globally renowned and emerging talents to tell stories that speak directly to our world now, united in their exploration of what bonds individuals to home, family and country.
Marking his historic return to the company in two productions running across Summer 2026, Kenneth Branagh plays Prospero in an epic new staging of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest directed by Sir Richard Eyre, and Lopakhin alongside Academy award-winning actress Helen Hunt as Madame Ranyevskaya in a new version of Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard by Laura Wade directed by Tamara Harvey.
The Tempest plays from Wednesday 13 May – Saturday 20 June in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, with press night on Tuesday 26 May. The production sees Kenneth Branagh take up the role of Prospero for the first time, having worked on thirty-five productions of Shakespeare across his career. The Tempest also marks Sir Richard Eyre’s first time directing in Stratford-upon-Avon following an esteemed career as a director, writer and former Artistic Director of the National Theatre between 1988-1997.
Written on the brink of the Russian Revolution, Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard opens in The Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon from Friday 10 July – Saturday 29 August, with press night on Tuesday 21 July. This new version of Chekhov’s final play by Olivier Award-winning playwright Laura Wade (Posh, The Riot Club, Rivals) sees Wade re-united with RSC Co-Artistic Director Tamara Harvey following their critically acclaimed production of The Constant Wife which premiered in the Swan Theatre in June this year. The production marks Helen Hunt’s debut with the company and follows a distinguished career spanning film, television, and theatre, as both actress, writer, director and producer.
Also making his debut with the Company in 2026, double Olivier Award-winning actor and writer Mark Gatiss takes on the title role of gangster Arturo Ui in Bertolt Brecht’s biting political satire on Hitler’s ascent to power. This new production of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, in a version by Stephen Sharkey, is directed by Seán Linnen, in his debut for the company. The production will play in the Swan Theatre from Saturday 11 April – Saturday 30 May, with press night on Tuesday 21 April, marking another historic first for the Company, as the only staging of the play in the RSC’s history.
In The Other Place, Martina Laird (RSC Coriolanus and The New Real, BBC Casualty) makes her playwrighting debut with Driftwood, shortlisted for the 2024 Verity Bargate Award. This deeply evocative story of self-determination, family and belonging is set against the backdrop of colonial Trinidad on the edge of political independence. Directed by Chichester Festival Theatre’s Artistic Director Justin Audibert, the production has its world premiere in The Other Place from Friday 17 April – Saturday 30 May with press night on Tuesday 28 April, after which it will transfer directly to Kiln Theatre from Wednesday 3 June to Saturday 4 July.
Also in The Other Place, the Unicorn Theatre’s Artistic Director Rachel Bagshaw directs a riotous re-telling of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a new co-production between the RSC and the Unicorn. Edited by Robin Belfield and created for children and families, the previously announced production will run from Saturday 21 March to Sunday 3 May at the Unicorn, London, before playing in The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon from Friday 19 June – Sunday 30 August.
Co-Artistic Directors Tamara Harvey and Daniel Evans said,
“When we set out as the Co-Artistic Directors of the Royal Shakespeare Company, we were united by a belief in the RSC as a home for radical and resonant theatre – inspired by Shakespeare and made by the most exciting artists from across the globe. Two years after our arrival, that commitment remains at the heart of everything we do.
From Shakespeare’s late meditation on freedom and forgiveness to Anton Chekhov’s prescient final play, by way of Bertolt Brecht’s searing satire on the rise of fascism, our relationship to family, community and state is bought sharply into focus on stage in 2026. We know that the stories we choose to tell as artists play a vital role in bringing people together, building connections and deepening our understanding of one another. In an increasingly volatile world, this matters to us more than ever.
We look forward to welcoming a new generation of artists and audiences to the RSC in 2026 and beyond.”
Completing the announcement and building on the company’s programming for young audiences and families, Ready Steady Colour’s Christmas Feast visits The Other Place from Wednesday 10 December 2025 – Saturday 3 January 2026 with a fun-filled serving of creativity, comedy and music suitable for ages 3+. This 55-minute festive experience by A Line Art invites children and adults to take a seat at a make-believe Christmas restaurant, in an interactive, live experience where audiences of all ages become artists of a festive mealtime with a twist.
Priority booking for Members and Supporters opens from Monday 22 September at 10am with public booking from Wednesday 8 October at 10am.
The five productions join the previously announced Cyrano De Bergerac by Simon Evans and Debris Stephenson, featuring Adrian Lester in the title role, Macbeth featuring Sam Heughan and Lia Williams, the world stage premiere of new musical, The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind, The Forsyte Saga Parts 1 & 2, Whitney White’s All Is But Fantasy, Henry V directed by RSC Co-Artistic Director Tamara Harvey and featuring Alfred Enoch, and the world premiere of Tom Wells’ adaptation of The BFG in a co-production with Chichester Festival Theatre and the Roald Dahl Story Company, directed by RSC Co-Artistic Director, Daniel Evans.
Also announced this week, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s smash hit production of Matilda The Musical, based on Roald Dahl’s beloved book, will visit Dublin’s Bord Gáis Energy Theatre and Glasgow Theatre Royal as part of a 15 date UK and Ireland tour, opening at the Curve, Leicester on 6 October 2025. The production, which this year celebrates its 15th anniversary, will go on to visit Bradford, Liverpool, Plymouth, Sunderland, Edinburgh, Manchester, Southampton, Bristol, Birmingham, Norwich, Dublin, Milton Keynes, Glasgow and Cardiff where it will run over Christmas until 17 January 2027.
ENDS
For further enquiries, please contact: Kate Evans 07920 244 434, email: kate.evans@rsc.org.uk
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SHOW BY SHOW:
THE RESISTIBLE RISE OF ARTURO UI
By Bertolt Brecht
Updated by Stephen Sharkey
Swan Theatre
11 Apr – 30 May
Tickets from £15
'This city’s sick. You need me. Arturo Ui'
A small-time crook with big boss ambitions.
While the Great Depression inflicts hardship across the nation, Chicago’s underworld festers with sex, scandal, violence and corruption. It’s the perfect storm for a schemer like Ui, his reputation as hot as hell.
Feeding on fear, Ui and his ruthless cronies make back-alley deals to protect the workers. So far, so bad. But his helpless targets watch on as Ui's influence gains dangerous momentum and his venom threatens to seep through the markets, politics and the law to seize the city – and beyond. This is a man on a mission for power. Will anyone stop him?
The simmering streets of Chicago come to the Swan Theatre for Seán Linnen’s RSC directorial debut. Double Olivier Award-winner Mark Gatiss plays the notorious Arturo Ui, in Stephen Sharkey’s version of Brecht’s riotous 1941 ‘gangster spectacle’, a blistering satire on Hitler’s ascent to power.
The Casting Director is Christopher Worrall CDG with further names to be announced.
DRIFTWOOD
By Martina Laird
In association with Kiln Theatre
17 Apr – 30 May
The Other Place
Tickets from £30
‘dis is my home. My whole life.
My history here. And de only future I go have is here.'
As colonial Trinidad advances towards political independence, a downtown Port of Spain gentlemen’s club becomes entangled in a different kind of custody battle.
ALMA promises its guests a comfortable environment to relax and indulge. Owned by Englishman Mansion, it's governed by Pearl and coveted by beguiling Ruby.
Then Diamond drifts in. His impetuous deal with a corrupt US Marine imperils ALMA, and all their lives are collateral damage. One wrong move and everything could shatter.
Driftwood is the first play from Martina Laird. Directed by Chichester Festival Theatre’s Artistic Director Justin Audibert and set in 1950s Caribbean, it’s a deeply evocative story of self-determination and the search for family and belonging.
The Set and Costume Designer is Sadeysa Greenaway-Bailey. The Casting Director is Matthew Dewsbury CDG with further names to be announced.
THE TEMPEST
By William Shakespeare
Royal Shakespeare Theatre
13 May – 20 June
Tickets from £10
'But this rough magic I here abjure.'
On a remote island, an exiled Duke prepares to perform his swansong, his great act of revenge. Kenneth Branagh takes the role of the maestro Prospero in Shakespeare’s final play, a meditation on art, power and freedom, directed by Sir Richard Eyre.
Prospero summons his magical gifts into a devastating sea storm which hurls a ship’s crew onto the island – among them his usurping brother. With supernatural islanders as unwilling agents of his scheme and the castaways spellbound, Prospero’s plot advances. Old scores must be settled; his daughter Miranda must find love.
But as his vision unfolds, a different ending emerges – one of forgiveness, love, compassion. And with it, the chance to renounce his magic forever.
Joining Richard Eyre are Set Designer: Bob Crowley, Costume Designer: Fotini Dimou, Lighting Designer: Hugh Vanstone, Composers: Akintayo Akinbode and Stephen Warbeck, Sound Designer: Nicola T. Chang, Movement Director: Annie-Lunnette Deakin-Foster and Casting Director: Charlotte Sutton CDG with further details to be announced.
The Tempest is supported by RSC Production Circle Members Serrie and Ian Meakins
A co-production with Unicorn Theatre
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM
By William Shakespeare
Edited by Robin Belfield
19 June – 30 August
The Other Place
Tickets from £25 (19 and over) £10 (18 and under)
'The course of true love never did run smooth.'
Threatened with a marriage she does not want, Hermia escapes from Athens with her boyfriend, Lysander, into the moonlit woods. But their troubles spiral when they – along with a band of amateur actors – fall under mischievous Puck’s spell, tumbling into a dream world where illusion and reality are hilariously confused.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the RSC’s first co-production with the UK’s leading children’s theatre, the Unicorn. Directed by Rachel Bagshaw, Artistic Director of the Unicorn, and edited by Robin Belfield, Shakespeare’s classic comedy explores unrequited love, self-discovery and seeing the world anew.
A riot of magic and mayhem for everyone aged 7 and above. The production features creative captions in every performance, fully integrated into the set design.
The Set and Costume Designer is Lily Arnold with further names to be announced.
THE CHERRY ORCHARD
In a version by Laura Wade
From the play by Anton Chekhov
10 July – 29 August
Swan Theatre
Tickets from £15
Helen Hunt and Kenneth Branagh play Ranyevskaya and Lopakhin, 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, has mortgaged the estate and now wants to 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.
RSC Co-Artistic Director Tamara Harvey directs Laura Wade’s vital new version of Anton Chekhov’s great final play, tragic and comic in equal measure, set in a world tilting towards revolution.
The Set and Costume Designer is Anna Fleischle and the Casting Director is Charlotte Sutton CDG with further names to be announced.
AUTUMN 2025
READY STEADY COLOUR'S CHRISTMAS FEAST
An A Line Art Production
The Other Place
10 December 2025 – 3 January 2026
Tickets from £18 (19 and over) £9 (18 and under)
Dinner, designed by you.
Take a seat at our make-believe Christmas restaurant, choose your ‘food’ and colour it in.
One waiter’s lost their Christmas spirit, another’s got too much, and Head Chef’s patience is fast running out – they need your help to find their festive joy.
Ready Steady Colour's Christmas Feast comes to The Other Place. A chance for children and adults to take part together in a merry blend of creativity, comedy and music.
Suitable for young audiences age 3+
Ready Steady Colour’s Christmas Feast is written and directed by Toby Hulse with Music by Robin Hemmings. It is a Children’s Story Centre original commission.
BOOKING INFORMATION
Ticket Discounts:
Discounts are available for Over 65s, Disabled People and Carers, Families, UK School and College Groups and Groups of 10 or more. Terms and conditions apply. See the website rsc.org.uk or call the Box Office on 01789 331111 for more details and to buy tickets.
Reduced Price Previews and Press Nights in Stratford-upon-Avon are priced at £32.50 or under for A price seats and a limited number of Premium Tickets are also available.
From 16 September onwards, mobile/e-tickets will be sent via email no earlier than 7 days prior to the performance. All ticket details will be included in an e-confirmation at the time of booking.
Assisted Performances:
The RSC offers a range of assisted performances on selected dates throughout the year. A list of upcoming dates and booking detail is available HERE.
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
Pragnell – Craft and Design Sponsor
The Tempest is supported by RSC Production Circle Supporters Serrie and Ian Meakins
The RSC Acting Companies are generously supported by The Gatsby Charitable Foundation
New Work at the RSC is generously supported by Hawthornden Foundation and The Drue and H.J. Heinz II Charitable Trust
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
Pragnell is a British family run jeweller, with a rich and royal heritage spanning over 170 years. As one of the UK’s last full-service jewellers, all Pragnell fine jewellery is handcrafted in British workshops by our highly trained craftspeople, using gemstones of exceptional beauty and quality. Pragnell showrooms are located in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Mayfair and Leicester. Discover Pragnell Stratford-upon-Avon showrooms in the heart of the town on Wood Street just a few minutes’ walk from the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Pragnell has proudly supported The King’s Trust since 2015, as a Patron, employing watch technicians through an apprenticeship scheme. Additionally since 2023, Pragnell has partnered with The King’s Foundation and sponsors their Awards which support the protection and promotion of heritage craft skills
