ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY ANNOUNCES NEW SEASON OF SHOWS FOR 2025-26
DATE ISSUED: 3 JUNE 2025
A SEASON OF GLOBALLY INSPIRED STORIES, THRILLINGLY TOLD
The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind. Photography by Nwaka Okparaeke. Art Direction by Louise Richardson
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- RSC Co-Artistic Directors Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey announce new 25/26 programme and US premiere of Kyoto - a co-production with Good Chance, Rachel Styne and Jessica Foung transferring to the Mitzi. E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center, New York direct from its sell-out season @sohoplace
- In the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Co-Artistic Director Tamara Harvey reunites with Alfred Enoch to direct William Shakespeare’s Henry V
- In the Swan Theatre, Simon Evans directs the Olivier award-winning Adrian Lester as Cyrano de Bergerac in a new version by Simon and Debris Stevenson
- Josh Roche revives his acclaimed two-part production from the Park Theatre of The Forsyte Saga with original cast members Fiona Hampton, Joseph Millson and Flora Spencer-Longhurst reprising their roles as Irene, Soames and Fleur
- In The Other Place, Daniel Raggett returns to direct Sam Heughan (Outlander, Love Again) and Olivier and Tony award-nominated actress Lia Williams (The Crown, Skylight) in an intimate and compelling new production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth
- Tony award-nominated director, writer, composer and actor Whitney White brings her fresh take on Shakespeare's iconic characters to The Other Place in All Is But Fantasy, a groundbreaking theatrical event across two gig-theatre style performances
- Lynette Linton directs the world stage premiere of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: a bold and uplifting new musical based on the memoir by William Kamkwamba with book and lyrics by Richy Hughes and music and lyrics by Tim Sutton.
- Next Generation present a collaborative new version of Shakespeare and Middleton’s morality fable, Timon of Athens, part of the RSC’s Next Generation talent development programme for young theatre makers from across England
- New venues added to First Encounters with Shakespeare King Lear tour with 79 performances across 24 towns and cities across England throughout Autumn 2025
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RSC Co-Artistic Directors Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey today announce a new programme of productions playing in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2025/26, bringing together stories from across the centuries and from across the globe.
Joining previously announced productions of The Winter's Tale, Measure for Measure and The BFG in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre is a new production of William Shakespeare’s Henry V, which reunites Co-Artistic Director Tamara Harvey with Alfred Enoch, following their hugely successful collaboration on Pericles in 2024.
In the Swan Theatre, Simon Evans (Staged, The Dazzle, Inside No. 9: Stage/Fright) directs Olivier Award-winning actor Adrian Lester (Sandman, Hustle, National Theatre Othello and Henry V) in the title role of Cyrano de Bergerac in a quick-witted new version by Simon and Debris Stevenson. Josh Roche's two-part production of The Forsyte Saga returns following its critically acclaimed run at the Park Theatre in 2024. Looking ahead to 2026, Lynette Linton, formerly Artistic Director of the Bush Theatre, directs the stage premiere of a new musical of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, based on the award-winning memoir of the same name by William Kamkwamba with book and lyrics by Richy Hughes and music and lyrics by Tim Sutton.
In The Other Place, Daniel Raggett returns following his critically acclaimed production of Edward II, to direct Sam Heughan (Outlander, Love Again) in the title role of Macbeth, his debut performance with the company alongside the Olivier and Tony award-nominated Lia Williams (The Crown, Skylight) as Lady Macbeth. Whitney White brings her fresh take on Shakespeare's iconic characters to Stratford-upon-Avon for the first time in All Is But Fantasy; four stories staged across two gig-theatre performances set against a live soundtrack of rock, pop, indie and gospel.
Priority booking for Members and Supporters opens from Tuesday 10 June at 10am with public booking opening on Wednesday 25 June at 10am. For further information on how to become an RSC Member or Supporter, visit here.
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Meanwhile, the RSC continues to expand its presence in the West End and internationally with the UK premiere of Liz Duffy Adams’ Born With Teeth at the Wyndham's Theatre from 13 August - 1 November 2025, directed by RSC Co-Artistic Director Daniel Evans and featuring Ncuti Gatwa (Dr Who) and Edward Bluemel (Sex Education) as rival playwrights Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare. Co-produced with Playful Productions and Elizabeth Williams.
Fresh from its critically acclaimed runs in Stratford-upon-Avon and @sohoplace, the Royal Shakespeare Company, Good Chance, Rachel Styne and Jessica Foung’s co-production of Kyoto makes its US premiere at Lincoln Center, New York from 10 October - 30 November. Written by Good Chance Theatre Artistic Directors, Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson (The Jungle) and nominated for a 2025 Olivier Award for Best New Play, the production will see Tony-award nominated actor Stephen Kunken reprise his celebrated role as oil lobbyist Don Pearlman with further casting to be announced.
Elsewhere in North America, Lolita Chakrabarti’s acclaimed stage adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s best-selling novel Hamnet embarks on a three-date tour of the US in Spring 2026. Co-produced with Neal Street Productions, this ‘elegant and beguiling’ (Evening Standard) stage production, directed by Erica Whyman will visit the Chicago Shakespeare Theater from 10 February - 8 March 2026, after which it will transfer to the Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington, from 17 March - 12 April 2026, and the American Conservatory Theater, San Francisco, from 21 April - 31 May 2026.
RSC Co-Artistic Directors Tamara Harvey and Daniel Evans said:
“Since embarking on this journey together, our guiding principle as Co-Artistic Directors of the RSC has been to seek out bold and exciting works which deepen our understanding of ourselves, each other and the world around us. From illuminating and daring classical productions to inventive and socially resonant new writing, this season is a celebration of globally inspired stories, thrillingly told by the most exciting theatre artists of today.
“From Malawi or Manhattan, through French fields, Scottish heaths, mythical lands and Giant country, our 2025/26 programme celebrates what we believe a 21st Century RSC can and should be: global in ambition and outlook, open and collaborative in nature and continuously redefining how Shakespeare and great storytelling can bring joy, connection and deepen our understanding of one-another.
“We are delighted to welcome so many artists in their RSC debuts this season, including internationally renowned acting talents Adrian Lester, Sam Heughan and Lia Williams, playwrights Debris Stevenson, Richy Hughes, Shaun McKenna and Lin Coghlan, alongside the visionary theatre-makers of tomorrow, Lynette Linton, Simon Evans, Josh Roche and Whitney White to name a few.
“We also look forward to continuing and deepening relationships with some of our most recent collaborators, Alfie Enoch and Daniel Raggett who – alongside Emily Burns, returning to direct Measure for Measure this Autumn – played a central role in helping to shape our first season.
“As ever, our pioneering work with young people in schools and communities continues to transform lives both here in the UK and across the globe, whether that’s a first-encounter with Shakespeare’s King Lear performed in a school hall in Skegness or nurturing the next generation of backstage talent with Timon of Athens, part of our Next Generation Act programme made by and for young theatre makers from across the country.
“Meanwhile, our presence in London grows apace, with the announcement that Daniel will direct Ncuti Gatwa and Edward Bluemel in a new co-production of Born With Teeth, our seventh production to be presented in London in 2025 alone, with further details of our upcoming Barbican 2025 programme to be revealed in early July.
“And at a time when governments across the globe are trying to shut down borders, our commitment to building new international partnerships is stronger than ever with the news that Kyoto will make its US premiere at the Lincoln Center, New York this Autumn following its sell-out run @sohoplace earlier this year, the highest grossing play to be presented at the venue since it first opened in 2022.
“Wherever and however our audiences experience the RSC in 2025/26, we hope that they encounter work that is beautifully crafted, inspiring and always entertaining.”
ENDS
For further enquiries, please contact: Kate Evans 07920 244 434, email: kate.evans@rsc.org.uk
X: @TheRSC
Instagram: @thersc
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SHOW BY SHOW:
CYRANO DE BERGERAC
by Edmond Rostand in a new version by Simon Evans and Debris Stevenson
Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Saturday 27 September – Saturday 15 November
Tickets from £10-72.50
'No master to serve, no leash to bear.
I walk as I please, and I speak as I dare.'
Poet, soldier and philosopher. Cyrano de Bergerac burns with brilliance. He's fiercely funny and urgently romantic – but behind the veil of wit is one large problem: his nose.
Haunted by doubts and too proud to beg, he watches from the shadows as Roxane – bold, beautiful and seemingly unreachable – falls for another man, Christian. But this handsome, tongue-tied young suitor knows his only hope of charming Roxane is to seduce her with words.
And only one person can help…
Olivier Award-winning actor Adrian Lester (Sandman, Hustle, National Theatre Othello and Henry V) is Cyrano. Director Simon Evans (Staged, The Dazzle, Inside No. 9: Stage/Fright) co-adapts with Debris Stevenson (Poet in Da Corner, My Brother’s a Genius), bringing new life to this thrilling, lyrical tale of love and lies, longing and disguise.
Joining Simon Evans are Set and Costume Designer Grace Smart; Composer Alex Baranowski, Sound Designer Donato Wharton and Casting Director Matthew Dewsbury CDG with further creative team to be announced.
MACBETH
By William Shakespeare
The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon
Thursday 9 October – Saturday 6 December
Tickets from £25-47.00
‘What’s done cannot be undone’
The Scottish Play. The Other Place.
Daniel Raggett, whose acclaimed Edward II played in the Swan Theatre earlier this year, directs Shakespeare’s story of love, power and ambition in the intimate setting of The Other Place. Sam Heughan (Outlander, Love Again) makes his RSC debut as Macbeth. Award-winning Lia Williams (The Crown, Skylight) is Lady Macbeth.
Joining Daniel Raggett are Set and Costume Designer Anna Reid; Lighting Designer Ryan Day; Sound Designer Tingying Dong and Dramaturg Rebecca Latham. The Casting Director is Charlotte Sutton CDG with further creative team to be announced.
THE FORSYTE SAGA PARTS 1 & 2
By John Galsworthy
Adapted by Shaun McKenna and Lin Coghlan
Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Part 1: Irene: Friday 28 November – Saturday 10 January
Part 2: Fleur: Monday 1 December – Saturday 10 January
Tickets from £10-£72.50
1886. The Empire is at its peak. Business is good for the Forsytes. Over sixty years they have invested, acquired and saved their way towards wealth. But the Forsyte lust for ownership is relentless.
Soames’ possessive love for his wife Irene shatters their marriage. Her break for freedom triggers events which reverberate down the generations.
John Galsworthy’s Nobel-winning saga about love, ownership and the end of empire is retold by Shaun McKenna and Lin Coghlan across two plays, spanning over 40 years from 1886 to 1927.
Josh Roche revives his acclaimed, two-part production, with Fiona Hampton, Joseph Millson and Flora Spencer-Longhurst reprising their roles as Irene, Soames and Fleur. Additional cast includes Emma Amos, Nigel Hastings, Michael Lumsden, Florence Roberts and Andy Rush.
‘The stage equivalent of a box-set binge’
Financial Times
Joining Josh Roche on the creative team are Set and Costume Designer Anna Yates; Lighting Designer Alex Musgrave; Composer and Sound Designer Max Pappenheim; Movement Director Patrice Bowler and Additional Casting by Matthew Dewsbury CDG.
Presented in association with Ashley Cook for Troupe. The Forsyte Saga Parts 1 & 2 was originally presented at Park Theatre.
ALL IS BUT FANTASY
Written, composed and directed by Whitney White
The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon
Lady Macbeth, Emilia: Wednesday 21 January – Saturday 21 February
Juliet, Richard III: Wednesday 28 January – Saturday 21 February
Tickets from £25-£45
Some people make history.
Lady Macbeth, Juliet, Emilia and Richard III. Each has a finger on the self-destruct button, sometimes by accident, sometimes by design. But why should loving too hard, aspiring too high or living too fast cut the story short?
Award-winning artist Whitney White explodes into The Other Place with a groundbreaking theatrical event, featuring four of Shakespeare’s most famous characters.
Their stories are revisited across two high-energy gig-theatre performances, catalysed by a red-hot soundtrack of musical genres from rock and soul to pop and gospel.
With the three Witches as backing singers, one question comes up time and again:
Can you have ambition and love and still be alive in Act V?
Joining Whitney White on stage is Charlie Thurston with further casting to be announced. The creative team includes; Sound Designer Tony Gayle; Dramaturg Réjane Collard -Walker and Casting Directors Charlotte Sutton CDG and Christopher Worrall CDG.
THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND
A NEW MUSICAL
Book and Lyrics by Richy Hughes
Music and Lyrics by Tim Sutton
Adapted from/based on the book by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer and Potboiler Productions
Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Tuesday 10 February – Saturday 28 March
Tickets from £10-£60
William wants to build a windmill. Nobody believes he can – not his father nor his friends. Hope feels out of reach where the land is thirsty but the rains don't come. As drought closes in on his family’s farm and the village he loves, everyone prays for a miracle.
All William has to hand are some library books and scraps of old machinery. The rest must come from within. Will he defy expectations? Will the wind turn the sails of his invention, produce the gift of power, and give hope for tomorrow?
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is a bold and uplifting new musical telling the true story of William Kamkwamba. Based on his memoir and Chiwetel Ejiofor's film, this world premiere is directed by Lynette Linton (Alterations, Shifters), formerly Artistic Director of the Bush Theatre, with book and lyrics by Richy Hughes (Southwark Playhouse Superhero) and music and lyrics by Tim Sutton (Restless Natives, RSC The Merry Wives of Windsor).
Joining Lynette Linton on the creative team are Set and Costume Designer Frankie Bradshaw; Lighting Designer Oliver Fenwick; Sound Designer George Dennis; Choreographer Shelley Maxwell; Video Designer Gino Ricardo Green; Dramaturg George Harrison and Casting Director Heather Basten CDG.
This production was commissioned by Kenny Wax and presented in association with Kenny Wax Ltd and Chuchu Nwagu Productions
With thanks to Season Supporter Charles Holloway OBE
Miranda Curtis CMG – Lead Production Supporter
HENRY V
By William Shakespeare
Saturday 14 March – Saturday 25 April
Tickets from £16-£72.50
Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
‘This story shall the good man teach his son…’
From a rebellious, carefree young man to the King of England. Overnight. And now this new king has an eye on the throne of France.
A reckless insult from the French Dauphin offers the perfect excuse for Henry V to declare war. But there’s a human price to pay for his pursuit of power and thousands could die at Agincourt.
Henry must unite his country, defeat the French, and prove himself worthy of the crown of England. Does he have what it takes?
Co-Artistic Director Tamara Harvey directs Alfred Enoch as Shakespeare’s Henry V, following on from their acclaimed collaboration on Pericles in 2024. Joining them are Set and Costume Designer Lucy Osborne, Movement Director Annie-Lunnette Deakin-Foster and Casting Director Christopher Worrall CDG with further cast and creative team to be announced.
Pragnell are the Craft and Design Sponsor for Henry V.
NEXT GENERATION, TIMON OF ATHENS
by Thomas Middleton and William Shakespeare
The Other Place
Wednesday 20 - Thursday 21 August
Tickets from £5
‘How goes the world?
It wears, sir, as it grows.’
Athens is on the brink of collapse: lavish parties for the few and an oppressive senate for the rest.
In the centre of it all sits Timon, surrounded by guests who gladly take all they can get. But as Timon’s credit runs out and the city teeters on the brink it all comes crashing down.
When Timon escapes the city and a resistance to the senate rises, it’s time to discover what loyalty and friendship really mean in a world obsessed with gold and credit.
A collaborative new version of Shakespeare and Middleton’s morality fable by our Next Generation Act Young Company, from across England. This production is supported by behind-the-scenes creatives drawn from our Next Generation Direct and Backstage programmes. Next Generation is our talent development programme for young theatre makers across England recruit
Timon of Athens is directed by Paul Ainsworth, Set and Costume Design by Alex Doidge-Green with Music by Joseph Atkins. The Movement Director is Eloise Secker.
RSC Next Generation is generously supported by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, Halabi Thomaz Foundation, John S Cohen Foundation and Noël Coward Foundation
Next Generation Act Company bursary places are generously supported by The Leverhulme Trust Arts Scholarship
FIRST ENCOUNTERS: KING LEAR
By William Shakespeare
Edited by Justine Themen
Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon Thursday 23 – Friday 31 October
On Tour: Friday 12 September – Friday 5 December. See rsc.org.uk for details
Tickets from £5-£12.50
A king announces that he will divide his kingdom between his three daughters according to how much they love him.
Lear thinks he will live out his old age with all of the comforts of kingship, and none of the responsibility. But the eldest two daughters, Goneril and Regan, have other ideas in mind – and he has given away all power to stop them. His vanity has devastating consequences for family, nation and climate.
Our First Encounters with Shakespeare production, makes Shakespeare’s play about family, power and betrayal relevant for a new generation of theatregoers.
This 80-minute staging of King Lear uses an edited version of the original play to create the perfect introduction for young people aged 7-13 and their families.
The tour of First Encounters: King Lear is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, which makes it possible for the RSC to expand its tour to work in partnership
First Encounters: King Lear is edited and directed by Justine Themen. Joining her are Set and Costume Designer Anisha Fields; Composer Arun Ghosh; Movement Director Martin Hylton; Dramaturg Stewart Pringle; and Casting Directors Matthew Dewsbury CDG and Charlie Metcalf.
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.
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
Darwin Escapes – Summer Theatre Sponsor
Pragnell – Craft and Design Sponsor
The Swan’s Nest Hotel – Summer Activities Sponsor
With thanks to Season Supporter Charles Holloway OBE
Miranda Curtis CMG – Lead Production Supporter of The Winter’s Tale and The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind
Measure for Measure is supported by RSC Production Circle Members Ian and Serrie Meakins
RSC £10 Tickets for 14-25s supported by TikTok
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
RSC Next Generation is generously supported by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, Halabi Thomaz Foundation, John S Cohen Foundation and Noël Coward Foundation
Next Generation Act Company bursary places are generously supported by The Leverhulme Trust Arts Scholarship
Assisted Performances at the RSC are kindly supported by The Sainsbury Trust
Tours ofFirst Encounters: The Tempest and King Lear are supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England
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
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Whether you’re seeking beachside spa breaks, golfing adventures, tranquil countryside retreats, or family-friendly activities, Darwin Escapes has something for everyone. Among these is the conveniently located Stratford-Upon-Avon Lodge Retreat, just two miles from the heart of Stratford-upon-Avon. Here, guests can enjoy a peaceful countryside setting with premium self-catering accommodation, while remaining close to the rich culture and attractions of the city.
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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
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Swan's Nest Hotel combines historic charm with modern comfort in a space dedicated to delighting its guests. Located on the banks of the River Avon, only a five-minute walk from the Royal Shakespeare Company, this Georgian townhouse hotel is perfectly placed for exploring the scenic beauty and cultural heritage of Stratford-upon-Avon, promising a welcoming retreat in a location steeped in history and character.
