ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY ANNOUNCES FULL PROGRAMME FOR SPRING/SUMMER 2027

• EMMY AND GOLDEN GLOBE AWARD-WINNING ACTOR ELIZABETH DEBICKI TO PLAY RICHARD II IN A NEW PRODUCTION DIRECTED BY DANIEL RAGGETT FOR THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE THEATRE
• ELIZABETH FREESTONE DIRECTS DAMIEN MOLONY AS CORIOLANUS, REIMAGINING SHAKESPEARE'S POLITICAL TRAGEDY THROUGH THE LENS OF POPULISM, SOCIETAL INSTABILITY AND RESOURCE SCARCITY
• JOANNA BOWMAN TO DIRECT ROMEO & JULIET IN HER ROYAL SHAKESPEARE THEATRE DEBUT
• TAMARA HARVEY DIRECTS THE WORLD STAGE PREMIERE OF MRS DALLOWAY; BASED ON THE PIONEERING NOVEL BY VIRGINIA WOOLF, ADAPTED BY FORMER RSC WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE ZOE COOPER
• BASED ON THE AWARD-WINNING NOVEL BY SUSANNA CLARKE, NED BENNETT DIRECTS THE WORLD STAGE PREMIERE OF PIRANESI IN A NEW ADAPTATION BY SAMI IBRAHIM FOR THE SWAN THEATRE
• PLAYWRIGHTS CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE AND WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE GO HEAD-TO-HEAD IN LIZ DUFFY ADAMS’ HISTORICAL THRILLER BORN WITH TEETH, DIRECTED BY DANIEL EVANS
• FRANCESCA GOODRIDGE BRINGS SHAKESPEARE’S THE COMEDY OF ERRORS TO THE OTHER PLACE IN ASSOCIATION WITH SHERMAN THEATRE, AHEAD OF NATIONWIDE TOUR TO ASSOCIATE SCHOOLS & THEATRES ACROSS ENGLAND

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In the week that sees Tony award-winning actor Jonathan Groff make his RSC debut in As You Like It at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and Nina Raine’s two-part adaptation of Middlemarch begin previews in the Swan Theatre, the RSC today announces full details of its Summer 2027 programme, which sees Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning actor Elizabeth Debicki make her debut with the company as Richard II. Also making his RSC debut is Damien Molony in the role of Coriolanus.

The season comprises four Shakespeare plays, which demonstrate his continued relevance to who we are and how we understand the world around us, and two world premieres inspired by the original novels from Virginia Woolf and Susanna Clarke. Completing the season is a thrilling two-hander, arriving fresh from the West End, which vividly re-imagines the relationship between a young William Shakespeare and his sparring partner, Christopher Marlowe, for a new generation.

The RSC continues to collaborate with the most exciting artists and to help nurture the creative talent of the future. Alongside those making their debut with the company in 2027, which include Sami Ibrahim and Ned Bennett, are returning directors Daniel Raggett and Elizabeth Freestone, alongside Joanna Bowman and Francesca Goodridge, both of whom have trained and developed their craft under Daniel and Tamara’s leadership. They are joined, for the first time, by former Writer-in-Residence Zoe Cooper, who – alongside Stewart Pringle – played an instrumental role in developing and commissioning new work for the RSC’s stages since their appointment in 2024.

RSC Co-Artistic Directors Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey said:

“In these four thrilling Shakespeare adaptations, brought to life by some of our most exciting contemporary artists, we encounter his mastery across the genres – one Roman, one history, one tragedy and one comedy.

From Joanna Bowman’s visceral exploration of obsessive first love to Elizabeth Freestone’s prescient study of the conditions which allow contemporary populism to thrive, each of these unique stagings reveals to us how Shakespeare continues to speak to our world now and to the innately human in all of us.

In Piranesi and Mrs Dalloway, we see a new generation grapple with a century-old theatrical pre-occupation: the exploration of inner-life on stage, giving audiences a space in which to explore the deeply human conflicts that make us who we are.

Together, they form a season that invites us to explore how inner conflict and external influences collide to shape us, how we see the world, how we show up and how we connect with one another. We look forward to sharing it with audiences.”

New productions at a glance:

Opening the season in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, RSC Associate Director Elizabeth Freestone returns to the company following her acclaimed 2023 version of The Tempest to direct Damien Molony (Bergerac, Two Weeks in August) as Coriolanus.

Running in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre from 6 February – 20 March with press night on Tuesday 16 February, this timely reimagining examines Shakespeare’s political tragedy through the lens of contemporary populism, societal instability and elemental scarcities in a turbulent world, as power struggles surface, old hierarchies crumble and the race to control critical resources begins.

Damien Molony’s career spans acclaimed television dramas, hit comedies, feature films, and stage productions. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Jim Bergerac in the contemporary revival of Bergerac, alongside standout roles including Dylan in Sky's award-winning comedy-drama Brassic, Tyler Donaghue in BBC's The Split, and Hal, the fan-favourite vampire in BBC's cult supernatural series Being Human.

Most recently, Molony has starred in Two Weeks in August, the acclaimed FX drama Say Nothing, and Hulu and Channel 4's satirical hit The Great opposite Elle Fanning. His television credits also include popular series such as Derry Girls, GameFace, Crashing, Suspects, Ripper Street, and On The Edge, demonstrating a remarkable range across comedy, drama, crime, and period productions.

On film, Molony has appeared in The Current War alongside Benedict Cumberbatch, Tiger Raid, Kill Your Friends, and the short film Keep Breathing. His screen work has seen him collaborate with renowned directors including Gus Van Sant, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, Colm McCarthy, and Daniel O'Hara.

Molony has performed at many of the UK's leading theatres, including the National Theatre, Royal Court, Hampstead Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre, and Wyndham's Theatre. Notable theatre roles include Heisenberg in Copenhagen, Edmund in King Lear, Foster in No Man's Land, Spike in Tom Stoppard's The Hard Problem, and Giovanni in 'Tis Pity She's a Whore.

Marking her Royal Shakespeare Company debut in 2027, Elizabeth Debicki takes up the titular role in William Shakespeare’s Richard II, in a new production by Daniel Raggett, whose previous RSC credits include the 2025 production of Macbeth featuring Sam Heughan and Lia Williams in The Other Place and Edward II in the Swan Theatre, starring RSC Co-Artistic Director Daniel Evans in the title role. The production opens in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre from 10 April – 22 May with press night on Tuesday 20 April.

Australian stage and film actress Elizabeth Debicki has gained attention around the world for her notable performances across film, television, and theatre. On stage, she has starred in David Hare’s 2016 production of The Red Barn at the National Theatre alongside Mark Strong and Hope Davis, and in the Sydney Theatre Company’s production of The Maids alongside Cate Blanchett and Isabelle Huppert, which subsequently played as a part of the 2014 Lincoln Center Festival in New York.

Most recently, Debicki returned to the stage opposite Ewan McGregor in Lila Raicek’s modern take on Henrik Ibsen’s classic play My Master Builder at Wyndham’s Theatre in the West End, for which she earned critical acclaim for her “poised” and “effortlessly graceful” performance as ‘Mathilde’.

In 2024, Debicki received Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG, and Critics Choice Awards and a BAFTA nomination for her layered and nuanced portrayal of Diana, Princess of Wales, in the highly acclaimed sixth season of Netflix’s The Crown. The year prior, she also received Golden Globe, SAG, and Emmy Award nominations for her performance in the series’ fifth season. Her previous television credits including a starring role as ‘Jed’ in the Emmy-nominated miniseries The Night Manager, and the Australian Foxtel drama, The Kettering Incident.

Upcoming projects include starring in David Fincher’s The Further Mis-adventures of Cliff Booth, written by Quentin Tarantino, in which Brad Pitt returns to his role as ‘Cliff Booth’ from Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. The film is set to be released in IMAX on November 25 and globally on Netflix on December 23. She will also star in Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson’s Wicker alongside Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, and Peter Dinklage. The film made its debut at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and will be released by Black Bear Pictures theatrically beginning October 23.

Following her sell-out summer production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Joanna Bowman returns to direct Shakespeare’s timeless and devastating tragedy Romeo and Juliet from 6 July – 28 August in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre with press night on Thursday 15 July. Joanna is Associate Artist at the Citizens Theatre and was Associate Director at the Tron Theatre between 2022 and 2025.

In the Swan Theatre, RSC Co-Artistic Director Daniel Evans brings Liz Duffy Adams’ Born With Teeth to Stratford-upon-Avon following an acclaimed West End run, in a co-production with Playful Productions and Grain of Sand Productions.

Running from 12 February – 3 April with press night on Wednesday 17 February, this ‘sizzling and intelligent slice of historical fiction’ (Guardian) explores the dangerous rivalry between two literary icons at odds with their world; Christopher ‘Kit’ Marlowe - a notorious freethinker and scandalous spy for the Crown - and Will Shakespeare, jobbing actor and ambitious young playwright still searching for his voice.

Across three secret meetings in the back room of a pub, the table between them becomes their stage and battlefield. Pens sharpen. Loyalties shift. And two extraordinary minds discover what they might create together - if they don’t destroy each other first.

Born With Teeth replaces the previously scheduled Othello, directed by Monique Touko and starring Sharon D Clarke in the title role, as Sharon takes time to undergo treatment for cancer. The production is currently postponed with further details to be announced in due course.

Also in the Swan Theatre, making its world stage premiere from 16 April – 12 June with press night on Tuesday 27 April, RSC Co-Artistic Director Tamara Harvey presents Mrs Dalloway, a new adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s pioneering novel by former RSC Writer-in-Residence Zoe Cooper in her playwriting debut for the company.

Set in a city suspended between the aftermath of war and future unrest, Mrs Dalloway’s deep exploration of the interior lives of its central protagonists, socialite and political wife Clarissa Dalloway and war veteran Septimus Smith, is reimagined afresh in this artful new adaptation. Fragments of conversations and chance observations spark memories, yearnings and foreboding, as two lives, lived apart but in parallel, connect with life-changing consequences.

This will be followed by the world stage premiere of Piranesi; an immersive theatrical world that invites audiences to turn detective in a treacherous labyrinth of shadow and illusion.

Adapted for the stage by Sami Ibrahim and directed by Ned Bennett, Piranesi is based on the award-winning novel by Susanna Clarke, author of the New York Times bestseller Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.

The production opens in the Swan Theatre from 3 July – 21 August with press night on Wednesday 14 July.

Joining the previously announced Brock’s Mill in The Other Place, Artistic Director of the Sherman Theatre, Francesca Goodridge directs Shakespeare's first comedy in a brand new First Encounters with Shakespeare production of The Comedy of Errors. The production, which opens in The Other Place from 16 July – 4 September with press night on Tuesday 27 July, is presented in association with Sherman Theatre and will go on to visit partner schools and theatres across England with full venue details to be announced later this Autumn. 

Edited by Associate Director of the Unicorn Theatre, Robin Belfield, this condensed, 80-minute version of Shakespeare’s fast-moving story of mistaken identity, near misses and a brave quest for reconciliation is the perfect introduction to his work for young people and those experiencing his work for the first time.

The Comedy of Errors tour is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, which makes it possible for the RSC to expand its touring programme to work in long term partnership with more places across England.

Priority booking for Members and Supporters for all new productions opens from 10am on Monday 5 October with public booking opening from Wednesday 21 October. For further information on how to become an RSC Member or Supporter, visit the RSC website.

ENDS

For further information contact Kate Evans (Head of Media, RSC) on 07920 244 434 or email kate.evans@rsc.org.uk  

 

LISTINGS INFORMATION:

THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE THEATRE

Coriolanus

By William Shakespeare

6 February – 20 March

'‘What is the city but the people?’

When drought and failing harvests bring unrest to the streets, Rome’s citizens direct their anger at Caius Martius and his fellow elites for withholding grain to drive up prices.

A victorious display on the battlefield grants Martius hero status and the title ‘Coriolanus’, but a disdain for playing the political game brings him into conflict with both the privileged and the disadvantaged. As a power struggle erupts, old hierarchies crumble and the race to control critical resources begins.

Joining Elizabeth Freestone on the creative team are Set and Co-Costume Designer Tom Piper, Co-Costume Designer Natasha Ward, Lighting Designer, Oliver Fenwick, Composer and Sound Designer Adrienne Quartly, Movement Director Sarita Piotrowski, Fight Director, Kev McCurdy and Casting Director Matthew Dewsbury CDG.

 

Richard II

By William Shakespeare

10 April – 22 May

‘Not all the water in the rough rude sea
Can wash the balm off from an anointed king.’

What makes a King: the crown or the head that wears it? Daniel Raggett (Macbeth, Edward II) directs Elizabeth Debicki (The Crown, Tenet) as King Richard II.

Joining Daniel Raggett on the creative team is Set Designer Leslie Travers and Dramaturg Rebecca Latham with further names to be announced.

 

Romeo and Juliet

By William Shakespeare

6 July – 28 August

'And what love can do, that dares love attempt.'

Young love bursts out of an old feud. An instant, intoxicating, miraculous attraction. Though Juliet and Romeo’s bond feels indestructible, it proves dangerously fragile. Every defiant decision risks turning this feverish first love into an untimely last.

Joanna Bowman directs Shakespeare’s timeless, devastating tragedy in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

The creative team includes Director Joanna Bowman, Set and Costume Designer Joanna Scotcher with further details to be announced.

 

THE SWAN THEATRE

Born With Teeth

A Co-production with Playful Productions and Grain Of Sand Productions

By Liz Duffy Adams

12 February – 3 April

Christopher ‘Kit’ Marlowe is the rock star of the Elizabethan stage - a notorious freethinker and scandalous spy for the Crown. Will Shakespeare is a jobbing actor and ambitious young playwright still searching for his voice.

In this ‘sizzling and intelligent slice of historical fiction’ (Guardian), the two writers are drawn into a dangerous game of rivalry and suspicion - and forced to collaborate.

Across three secret meetings in the back room of a pub, the table between them becomes their stage and battlefield. Pens sharpen. Loyalties shift. And two extraordinary minds discover what they might create together - if they don’t destroy each other first.

Joining Director Daniel Evans on the creative team are Set and Costume Designer Joanna Scotcher, Lighting Designer Neil Austin, Sound Designer George Dennis, Movement Director Ira Mandela Siobhan and Casting Director Charlotte Sutton CDG.

 

Mrs Dalloway

By Zoe Cooper

From the novel by Virginia Woolf

16 April – 12 June

"Here I am, here and now and in motion.'

Morning, Westminster, 1923. Clarissa Dalloway, socialite and perfect political wife, collects flowers for the party she'll host tonight. Septimus Warren Smith, a veteran decimated by the First World War, waits to meet his physician. As the day marches on to the chimes of Big Ben, fragments of conversations and chance observations spark memories, yearnings and foreboding. Two lives, lived apart but in parallel, will soon connect with life-changing consequence.

Set in a city suspended between the aftermath of war and future unrest, Mrs Dalloway is a deep exploration of interior lives, the agony and ecstasy of queer love and the magnetic power of human connection.

Joining Director Tamara Harvey on the creative team are Set and Costume Designer Anna Fleischle, Lighting Designer Ryan Day, Sound Designer Claire Windsor, Movement Director Lucie Pankhurst, Dramaturg Elizabeth Freestone and Casting Director Charlotte Sutton CDG.

 

Piranesi

From the novel by Susanna Clarke

Adapted by Sami Ibrahim

3 July – 21 August

‘The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite.’

Piranesi lives in the House. Day after day, he explores its vast halls and documents the tides that wash through its lower levels. But the more he learns the less he understands. When strange messages begin to appear, scratched out on walls and pavements, Piranesi suspects that something unfamiliar and dangerous is drawing near.  

As secrets come to light, a mystery as inscrutable as the stars threatens everything Piranesi believes, one puzzling discovery at a time.

Adapted for the stage by Sami Ibrahim and directed by Ned Bennett, Piranesi is based on Susanna Clarke’s award-winning novel. Experience an immersive theatrical world that invites audiences to turn detective in a treacherous labyrinth of shadow and illusion.

Joining Ned Bennett on the creative team are Set and Costume Designer Georgia Lowe, Lighting Designer Jessica Hung Han Yun and Dramaturg Rebecca Latham with further names to be announced.

 

THE OTHER PLACE

In Association with Sherman Theatre

First Encounters with Shakespeare

The Comedy of Errors

By William Shakespeare

Edited by Robin Belfield

16 July – 4 September

“If everyone knows us and we know none,/‘Tis time, I think, to trudge, pack and be gone.”

Identical twins, wrenched apart by shipwreck as infants, end up in the same city. Five years into his search, Antipholus of Syracuse is now tantalisingly close to reuniting with his brother - but he doesn't know it yet. Picture what follows.

As he advances through the streets with his attendant Dromio, a series of bizarre encounters rapidly pile up into a mountain of chaos and confusion. Illicit attractions and thefts, false accusations and arrests make this a day unlike any other. And for added jeopardy, any Syracusian found in Ephesus has a price on their head...

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon

Box Office: 01789 331111, rsc.org.uk

Tickets are priced from £15-£95 in The Royal Shakespeare Theatre and The Swan Theatre, £25 (19 and over) and £10 (18 and over) in The Other Place.

Discounts are available, subject to eligibility and availability. Please click here for further information: https://www.rsc.org.uk/ticket-prices-discounts-offers/  

 

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

Pragnell – Craft and Design Sponsor

Coriolanus is supported by RSC Production Circle Supporter Shriti Vadera

Romeo & Juliet is supported by RSC Production Circle Supporters Serrie and Ian Meakins and Jane and Stephen Williamson

The tour of The Comedy of Errors is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England

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 (RSC) is a leading global theatre company that sparks local, national and international conversations that build connections, create opportunities and bring joy. We passionately believe that great storytelling can change the world, and that theatre offers its own unique form of storytelling: it’s live and shared, and transforms a group of strangers into audiences who, together, experience a story come to life in front of their eyes.  

We collaborate with the most exciting artists to tell the stories of our time, and through a range of programmes we nurture the talent of the future.  

We perform on three stages in our home in Stratford-upon-Avon, in London and in communities and schools across the country and around the world.  

Our transformative Creative Learning and Engagement programmes reach over half a million young people each year. 

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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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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.