RSC ANNOUNCES FULL CASTING FOR HENRY V
HENRY V
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Tamara Harvey
Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Saturday 14 March – Saturday 25 April 2026
Press Night: Tuesday 24 March, 7pm
BOX OFFICE: rsc.org.uk, 01789 331111
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Full casting is announced for the RSC’s forthcoming production of Henry V, Shakespeare’s great history play, directed by RSC Co-Artistic Director, Tamara Harvey. The production runs in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon between Saturday 14 March and Saturday 25 April 2026.
Henry V will be the first play Tamara has directed in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre since becoming Co-Artistic Director, and follows her critically acclaimed productions of Pericles and The Constant Wife, which ran in the RSC’s Swan Theatre. This will be the first time that a female director has directed Henry V at the RSC in the history of the Company.
As previously announced Alfred Enoch plays the title role, reuniting him with Tamara after also playing the title role in her production of Pericles. Alfred’s theatre credits include
What A Carve Up!, The Picture of Dorian Gray, As You Like It (@sohoplace - West End), Romeo and Juliet (Globe), Crave (Chichester Festival Theatre), Tree (Young Vic / Manchester International Festival), Red (Wyndham’s Theatre, West End), King Lear (Talawa and Manchester Royal Exchange), Coriolanus (Donmar Warehouse) and Timon of Athens and Antigone (National Theatre).
Alfred has recently appeared on Netflix as Isaac Fagbenle in the Harlan Coban thriller, Run Away. Other screen credits include: Miss Austen (BBC), The Couple Next Door (Channel 4), Foundation (Apple TV), Trust Me (BBC), How To Get Away With Murder (ABC), Troy: Fall of a City (BBC), Sherlock (BBC), Mount Pleasant (Sky), Broadchurch (BBC), and the films, The Critic, This Is Christmas, Executive Order, Tigers and The Harry Potter series.
The full cast comprises: Catrin Aaron (Hostess/Queen Isabel/Governor of Harfleur); Micah Balfour (Exeter); Jamie Ballard (Canterbury/King of France/Williams); Diany Bandza (Scroop/Alice/Rambures); Michael Elcock (The Dauphin); Alfred Enoch (Henry V); Owain Gwynn (Cambridge/Orleans); Valentine Hanson (Henry IV/Grey/Erpingham); Paul Hunter (Pistol); Hanora Kamen (Ely/Gower); Natalie Kimmerling (Katharine); Sophie McIntosh (Gloucester); Emmanuel Olusanya (Bardolph/Court); Sam Parks (Westmoreland/Bates); Sion Pritchard (Fluellen); Sarah Slimani (Montjoy); Tanvi Virmani (The Girl); Ewan Wardrop (Nym/Constable); and Imogen Wilde (Swing).
Paul Hunter, who plays Pistol, is co-founder and Artistic Director of the Told by an Idiot theatre company. In 2011 Paul directed the RSC’s production of The Mouse and his Child. In 2010, in association with Told by an Idiot, he directed the RSC production of The Comedy of Errors, a 90 minute version of the play aimed at younger audiences. Previous RSC acting credits include Cowbois and Les Enfants Du Paradis. His extensive theatre credits include numerous performances for Told by an Idiot, Rhinoceros (Almeida), La Cage aux Folles (Park Theatre), Life of Galileo (Young Vic), and Much Ado About Nothing, Troilus and Cressida and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare’s Globe). TV and film credits include Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, Quiz, Bridgerton, Pirates of the Caribbean and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
Natalie Kimmerling plays Katharine. Natalie’s previous RSC credits include The Tempest. Other theatre credits include: The Glass Menagerie (Rose Theatre Productions, Alexandra Palace, Belgrade Theatre), Henry V (schools tour - Donmar Warehouse), War Horse UK and International Tour (National Theatre). Television credits include: War (HBO and Sky), Amandaland (BBC), The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself (Netflix).
The production will also feature two groups of 15 supernumeraries, drawn from the Coventry and Warwickshire area, who will be the watching crowd, soldiers and ghosts.
Tamara Harvey, director of Henry V and RSC Co-Artistic Director said: “I’m delighted to be directing in our larger theatre for the first time. Henry V has urgent questions to ask about the nature of leadership and the impact of decisions made in the corridors of power, and I can’t wait to explore the play with the exceptional cast we have assembled. Henry V was one of the first Shakespeare plays that our Henry, Alfred Enoch, ever saw. It’s a play we both love so after working together on Pericles in 2024, it felt natural that we should tackle it in a space where so many great actors have played it, albeit never before at the RSC (astonishingly) with a woman director. I feel honoured to be the first.”
Joining Tamara on the Creative Team are: Lucy Osborne (Set and Costume Designer), Ryan Day (Lighting Designer), Jamie Salisbury (Composer), Claire Windsor (Sound Designer), Annie-Lunnette Deakin-Foster (Movement Director), Kate Waters (Fight Director) and Christopher Worrall CDG (Casting Director).
For more information please contact:
Dean Asker
Senior Media Relations Officer, RSC
dean.asker@rsc.org.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS
HENRY V
By William Shakespeare
Saturday 14 March – Saturday 25 April
Tickets from £16-£72.50
Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Box Office: 01789 331111 rsc.org.uk
Press Night: Tuesday 24 March, 7pm
‘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?
Director Talk: Monday 23 March, 5.15pm
Captioned performances: Saturday 4 April, 1.15pm and Friday 17 April, 7.15pm
Audio described performances: Friday 10 April, 7.15pm and Saturday 18 April, 1.15pm
Chilled and handheld captioned performance: Thursday 9 April, 1.15pm
Unwrapped: Saturday 11 April
Chilled performance: Wednesday 22 April, 1.15pm
Performance with integrated BSL interpreter: Friday 24 April, 7.15pm and Saturday 25 April, 1.15pm
Post show talk (BSL Interpreted): Friday 24 April
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 are the Craft and Design Sponsor for Henry V
Henry V is supported by RSC Production Circle Supporter Shriti Vadera
RSC £10 Tickets for 14-25s supported by TikTok
The RSC Acting Companies are generously supported by The Gatsby Charitable Foundation
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.
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