THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY IN LONDON - NEW BARBICAN SEASON ANNOUNCED FOR 2025/26
- RSC Co-Artistic Directors Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey announce the Royal Shakespeare Company’s return to the Barbican with a spellbinding London season of two bittersweet plays: one magical adventure and one critically acclaimed Shakespeare transfer from Stratford-upon-Avon.
- Wendy & Peter Pan, an exhilarating new take on JM Barrie’s beloved classic, adapted by Ella Hickson, directed by Jonathan Munby and featuring RSC Associate Artist Toby Stephens as Captain Hook, will play at the Barbican from 21 October to 22 November 2025 with press night on 28 October.
- Freema Agyeman, Michael Grady-Hall and Samuel West return in Prasanna Puwanarajah’s critically acclaimed version of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night following a sold-out run in Stratford-upon-Avon. The production, which features an original score and songs by Matt Maltese, will play at the Barbican from 8 December 2025 to 17 January 2026 with press night on 16 December 2025.
- Meanwhile, the RSC continues to expand its presence in the capital with the recently announced transfer of Max Webster’s Titus Andronicus featuring BAFTA, Tony and Olivier-Award winning Simon Russell Beale, which will play at Hampstead Theatre from 5 September to 11 October 2025.
- Next month will see the RSC’s newest West End opening 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 and Edward Bluemel as rival playwrights Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare. Co-produced with Playful Productions and Elizabeth Williams.
- Also playing in the West End is My Neighbour Totoro and Matilda The Musical, which continue to delight audiences from across the globe.
DOWNLOAD BARBICAN SEASON ARTWORK HERE
DOWNLOAD BARBICAN SEASON HEADSHOTS HERE
DOWNLOAD TWELFTH NIGHT PRODUCTION IMAGES HERE
DOWNLOAD TITUS ANDRONICUS IMAGES HERE
DOWNLOAD BORN WITH TEETH IMAGES HERE
DOWNLOAD MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO IMAGES HERE
DOWNLOAD MATILDA THE MUSICAL IMAGES HERE
Director Jonathan Munby’s spectacular production of Wendy & Peter Pan will play the Barbican Theatre this autumn. This magical retelling of JM Barrie’s beloved classic is adapted by Ella Hickson, with set and costumes designed by Colin Richmond and featuring RSC Associate Artist Toby Stephens (Oslo, Hamlet) as the villainous Captain Hook. Further casting to be announced soon.
Toby Stephens was last on stage on Broadway in Corruption at Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, Lincoln Center. In the UK, he was last seen in Florian Zeller’s The Forest at Hampstead Theatre. He is perhaps best known for his roles on screen as Gustav Graves in the James Bond film Die Another Day and Edward Fairfax Rochester in the BBC television adaptation of Jane Eyre. Other screen credits include Black Sails, Lost in Space, A Cruel Love, The Split: Barcelona, Marama and most recently Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the Disney+ adaption of the books by the same name. He was last at the RSC in Michael Boyd’s highly acclaimed production of Hamlet, where he played the title role. Previous theatre credits include a revival of Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing (The Old Vic), Private Lives (Gielgud), Danton's Death and Oslo (National Theatre) the latter of which transferred to the Harold Pinter Theatre in the West End.
Joining Munby and Richmond on the production team are Choreographer Lucy Hind, Composer Shuhei Kamimura, Sound Designer Christopher Shutt, Lighting Designer Oliver Fenwick, Video Designer Taiki Ueda, Fight Director Terry King, Casting Director Annelie Powell CDG and Associate Director Ellie Taylor.
Prasanna Puwanarajah’s 5-star production of Twelfth Night, which features iconic designs from James Cotterill, will follow with Freema Agyeman (Doctor Who, New Amsterdam), Michael Grady-Hall (Venice Preserved, Imperium) and Samuel West (Slow Horses, All Creatures Great and Small) reprising their critically acclaimed roles as Olivia, Feste and Malvolio respectively. Further casting to be announced soon.
Joining Puwanarajah and Cotterill on the production team are Lighting Designers Bethany Gupwell and Zoe Spurr, Composer Matt Maltese, Sound Designer George Dennis, Movement Director Polly Bennett, Casting Director Matthew Dewsbury CDG and Associate Director Zoë Templeman-Young.
Priority booking starts from Wednesday 9 July with public booking opening on Thursday 17 July.
RSC Co-Artistic Directors Tamara Harvey and Daniel Evans said:
“We’re so excited to be announcing our second Winter season at the Barbican, and to be bringing two brilliant productions to our London audiences.
Ella Hickson’s darkly witty adaptation of Wendy & Peter Pan brings a fresh perspective to J.M Barrie’s classic novel, whilst still offering everything you would expect from the beloved story – from crooked captains to carnivorous crocodiles. The play was first performed with the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon a decade ago, and this new production, directed by Jonathan Munby, promises to bring even more joy and magic to the Barbican stage.
The season continues with Prasanna Puwanarajah’s smash-hit version of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. We are thrilled that Sam, Freema and Michael will return to reprise their critically acclaimed roles which delighted our audiences in Stratford last year. How fitting that the show will run over Twelfth Night, the moment when we all reflect on the celebrations we have enjoyed throughout the festive season.”
Wendy & Peter Pan and Twelfth Night will represent the RSC’s ninth and tenth productions to be presented in London in 2025.
“Our year started with Kyoto, which sold out its London run and will soon be seen across the Atlantic in New York. Since then, we have celebrated the West End opening of Tom Morton-Smith’s record-breaking stage adaptation of Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbour Totoro and are about to open our next West End show Born With Teeth, featuring Ncuti Gatwa and Edward Bluemel, in co-production with Playful Productions and Elizabeth Williams.
4.48 Psychosis is now sold-out at the Royal Court but will soon transfer to The Other Place Stratford, where Sarah Kane will be seen at the RSC for the first time. We have also just announced that Max Webster’s brutal and brilliant production of Titus Andronicus with the legendary Simon Russell Beale will transfer to the Hampstead theatre this autumn. And of course, Matilda the Musical continues to delight and inspire audiences across the world. We look forward to sharing more of the RSC's work with London audiences, working in partnership with many venues and partners across the capital in the new year.”
ENDS
For press enquiries about the Barbican season, please contact Bethany Arnold (Senior Publicist) email: bethany.arnold@rsc.org.uk
For press enquiries about Titus Andronicus, please contact Clare Jepson-Homer (Head of Press & PR) email: clarejh@hampsteadtheatre.com
For press enquiries about Born with Teeth, please contact Kate Evans (Head of Media Relations) email: kate.evans@rsc.org.uk
For press enquiries about My Neighbour Totoro, please contact Chloe Heard at Bread and Butter PR, email: chloe@breadandbutterpr.uk
For press enquiries about Matilda the Musical, please contact Chloe Pritchard-Gordon at About Grace PR, email: chloe@aboutgracepr.com
X: @TheRSC
Instagram: @thersc
Royal Shakespeare Company incorporated under Royal Charter. Registered charity No. 212481
BARBICAN SEASON ON SALE DATES
RSC Artists Circle and Gold Patrons 9 July 2025
RSC Silver Patrons 10 July 2025
RSC Bronze Patrons 11 July 2025
RSC Members 14 July 2025
RSC Subscribers 16 July 2025
Public Booking 17 July 2025
BOOKING INFORMATION
New RSC Family Rates. For Wendy & Peter Pan and Twelfth Night, up to 4 children under 18 go half price when you book a full price adult ticket. Valid on selected Monday to Friday performances (excluding peak weeks*). For My Neighbour Totoro and Matilda The Musical, this offer is valid on selected Tuesday to Friday performances (excluding peak weeks*). These offers are subject to availability and if applicable. See production websites for full T&Cs.
*for full details on peak weeks see production websites
LISTINGS INFORMATION
BARBICAN SEASON
Wendy & Peter Pan
By Ella Hickson
Adapted from the book by J.M. Barrie
Directed by Jonathan Munby
Barbican Theatre
Tuesday 21 October – Saturday 22 November
Press Night: Tuesday 28 October at 7pm
Tickets from: £25
Box Office: www.rsc.org.uk Tel: 01789331111
Captioned performance: Saturday 8th November, 1.30pm
Relaxed performance: Saturday 15th November, 1.30pm
Audio described performance: Saturday 22nd November, 1.30pm
Post Show Talk: Friday 14th November
Follow Wendy on an awfully big adventure as she journeys far from the safety of the Darling’s nursery, taking centre stage in her quest to find the key to her parents’ forgotten happiness – the child they once lost, and discovers how the power of just one happy thought can set flight to newfound joy.
With Peter Pan, fairy Tink and Tiger Lily as her unlikely allies, Wendy gives the Lost Boys a run for their money as she takes on the diabolical Captain Hook, brought to life by RSC Associate Artist Toby Stephens (Oslo, Hamlet) in this ‘spectacular’ (Guardian) staging and ultimately learns what it really means to grow up.
This production of Wendy & Peter was originally presented by Bunkamura Theatre in Tokyo and Leeds Playhouse.
Twelfth Night
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Prasanna Puwanarajah
Barbican Theatre
Monday 8 December – Saturday 17 January
Press Night: Tuesday 16 December at 7pm
Tickets from: £25
Box Office: www.rsc.org.uk Tel: 01789331111
Captioned performance: Saturday 20th December, 1.30pm
Relaxed performance: Tuesday 30th December, 1.30pm
Audio Described: Saturday 3rd January, 1.30pm
Post Show Talk: Monday 5th January
A woman survives a shipwreck and washes up on an unknown shore. Alone and bereaved of her twin brother, she embarks on a secret new life as a go-between for two people in the extremity of love and grief. Caught up in the ensuing love triangle, she experiences the chaos and humanity of unexpected love; and discovers that in Illyria, everyone is hiding something.
Freema Agyeman made her RSC debut as Olivia in the Stratford-upon-Avon run of Twelfth Night. She went on to perform the role of Beatrice in Michael Longhurst’s Much Ado About Nothing. Previous theatre credits include Jamie Lloyd’s Romeo and Juliet (2024) and the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre’s God of Carnage (2023). She is perhaps best known for her roles as Martha Jones in Doctor Who and, more recently, as Dr. Helen Sharpe in New Amsterdam.
Michael Grady-Hall received standout reviews for his Feste in Prasanna Puwanarajah’s production of Twelfth Night. His previous RSC credits include Two Gentlemen of Verona, Venice Preserved, Imperium I&II, Oppenheimer, The Shoemakers Holiday, As You Like It, Hamlet, All’s Well That Ends Well, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cardenio and The City Madam.
Amongst Samuel West’s well-known credits are All Creatures Great and Small, Apple TV’s Slow Horses and Darkest Hour. His previous RSC credits include Stephen Pimlott’s 2001 production of Hamlet where he played the title role.
Hampstead Theatre presents the RSC’s production of
Titus Andronicus
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Max Webster
Friday 5 September to Saturday 11 October 2025
Press Night: Tuesday 16 September at 7pm
Captioned Performance: Wednesday 8 October, 7.30pm
Audio Described Performance: Saturday 11 October, 1.30pm
‘Blood and revenge are hammering in my head’
The war may be over, but the violence has just begun.
When victorious general Titus Andronicus executes his enemy’s son in a merciless show of vengeance, he has no idea of the evil his actions will incite. As the two sides trade violent acts of retribution, one man revels in the bloodbath.
Tickets from £10 to £65
Hampstead Theatre, Eton Avenue, London NW3 3EU
Box Office: 020 7722 9301
Born With Teeth
By Liz Duffy Adams
Ncuti Gatwa as Christopher Marlowe.
Edward Bluemel as William Shakespeare.
Wyndham's Theatre, Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0DA
Wednesday 13 August 2025 - Saturday 1 November 2025
Press Night: Tuesday 2 September 2025
Performance times: Monday – Sat 7.30pm, Wed & Sat 2.30pm
Audio described performance: Saturday 20 September 2.30pm
Captioned performance: Saturday 4 October 2.30pm
Winter 1591.
It is a dangerous time for artists: the country is full of conspiracy and paranoia.
In the backroom of a pub, writing sensations Kit Marlowe and Will Shakespeare are forced together in a creative union. Alone, with the table as their stage and battlefield, they sharpen their pens – and let their genius fly.
Across three secret meetings, the rivals duel and flirt like their lives depend on it – and with spies everywhere, betrayal is so tempting.
Marking its West End premiere this summer, Liz Duffy Adams’ Born With Teeth is a thrilling imagining of the relationship between two literary icons at odds with their time.
Groups and school rates available.
Tickets from £25
2,000 tickets available at £10 for 16–25-year-olds, sponsored by TikTok
Book online: www.delfontmackintosh.co.uk
Phone: 0344 482 5151. Monday – Saturday, 10am – 7.30pm
My Neighbour Totoro
Gillian Lynne Theatre
166 Drury Lane, London, WC2B 5PW
Booking details: https://totoroshow.com/
020 7087 7750
TikTok: @totoro_show
Instagram / Facebook: @totoroshow / TotoroShow
Bluesky: totoroshow.bsky.social
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@TotoroShow
#Totoroshow
#FindYourSpirit
Tickets from £25. RSC £10 Tickets for 16-25s per performance. Details on how to book found at https://www.rsc.org.uk/support/rsc-10-tickets-supported-by-tiktok
Tuesday - Saturday, 7pm performances and Thursday, Saturday and Sunday 2pm performances
Booking until March 2026
Matilda The Musical
Cambridge Theatre
Earlham Street
London WC2H 9HU
RSC £10 Tickets supported by TikTok for are available for 16-25 year olds and can be booked online for every performance of Matilda The Musical.
16 tickets are available for every performance, bookable online in advance and on the day of performance, in person from 10am at the Cambridge Theatre Box Office. Sign up at www.rsc.org.uk/tiktok-10-tickets for more information
For the full performance schedule and to book tickets visit www.matildathemusical.com
For school resources, please visit www.matildaschoolresources.com
Facebook: @MatildaTheMusical
Instagram: @MatildaTheMusical
TikTok: @thersc
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
RSC £10 Tickets for 14-25s supported by TikTok
Matilda the Musical is sponsored by London Northwestern Railways
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
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok's global headquarters are in Los Angeles and Singapore, and its offices include New York, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.
About the Barbican
The Barbican is a catalyst for creativity, sparking possibilities for artists, audiences, and communities. We showcase the most exciting art from around the world, pushing traditional artistic boundaries to entertain and inspire millions of people, create connections, provoke debate, and reflect the world we live in.
We are an international arts and events centre rooted firmly in our own neighbourhood, collaborating with local communities and putting the City of London on the map as a destination for everybody. Central to our purpose is supporting emerging talent and shaping opportunities that will accelerate the next generation of creatives.
As a not-for-profit, we rely on the generosity of individuals and organisations, including our principal funder the City of London Corporation. Every ticket purchased, donation made, and pound earned supports our arts and learning programme and enables the widest possible range of people to experience the joy of the arts.
Opened in 1982, the Barbican is a unique and audacious building, recognised globally as an architectural icon. As well as our theatres, galleries, concert halls and cinemas, we have a large conservatory with over 1,500 species of plants and trees, a library, conference facilities, public and community spaces, restaurants, bars, and a picturesque lakeside oasis.
We’re proud to be the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, our Resident Orchestra, and a London base for the Royal Shakespeare Company. We regularly co-commission, produce and showcase the work of our Artistic Associates the Academy of Ancient Music, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Boy Blue, Darbar Arts, Cultural and Heritage Trust, and Serious, who produce the EFG London Jazz Festival, alongside other associates and partners including Doc'n Roll Film Festival, London Palestine Film Festival, and Trafalgar Theatre Productions.
