Royal Shakespeare Company

12/06/2026

'Hast thou not dropped from heaven?' 💫

From the stars in the sky to the sand of the island, the world of The Tempest is alive in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre

Our ★★★★ 'Enchanting' (Guardian) The Tempest plays until 20 June only.

🎟️ Check back regularly for returns via our website or at the box office.

📸 Fred Woodley Evans as Ferdinand and Ruby Stokes as Miranda in The Tempest.
📸 Ashley Zhangazha as Caliban in The Tempest.
📸 The company of The Tempest.
📸 Henry Pettigrew as Sebastian in The Tempest.
📸 Razak Osman as Spirit, Fred Woodley Evans as Ferdinand, Ruby Stokes as Miranda and Halle Brown as Spirit in The Tempest.
📸 Mark Meadows as Antonio, David Bark-Jones as Alonso and Paul Jesson as Gonzalo.

Photos by Johan Persson. Set Design by Bob Crowley. Costume Design by Fotini Dimou. Video Design by Akhila Krishnan.

11/06/2026

Hamlet Hail to The Thief is heading to London

Our critically acclaimed co-production lands at Barbican Centre for a limited time only from 31 Oct.

Tickets on-sale 26 June. Sign up now to get 24hr pre-sale access from 25 June. 🎟️ https://hamlethailtothethief.com/

"I'm into finally bringing 'Hamlet Hail to the Thief' to London, and to the Barbican of all places! It is fascinating and very strange to me how this came to life and how it has worked.

When it revealed itself to us over time I was shocked, having never had this kind of experience before. I am happy for it to be seen by a wider audience in such an intense space."

- Thom

Hamlet Hail to the Thief will have its London premiere at the Barbican Centre this autumn, running from 31st October 2026 through to 23rd January 2027, following sold-out runs last year at the Royal Shakespeare Company and Aviva Studios, home of Factory International.

W.A.S.T.E. subscribers automatically get pre-sale access from 10am BST on Thursday 25th June. More info at https://waste.lnk.to/hhttt2FA. General sale is at 10am BST on Friday 26th June.

Co-created by directors Christine Jones and Steven Hoggett, Thom deconstructed and remoulded Hail to the Thief into a score to serve the play, performed live by a cast of musicians and actors.

09/06/2026

☁️ 'He is in heaven, where thou shalt never come' – Lady Anne, Richard III

This elaborate, floor-length velvet dress, with appliqué detailing in green and purple, is one of the oldest items in the RSC's collection. It was worn by Constance Benson as Lady Anne, in The Benson Company's 1901 production of Richard III.

The Benson Company were a group of actors who were famous for their performances of Shakespeare and an annual festival in Stratford-upon-Avon, laying the early foundations of the RSC 🎉 Constance Benson performed many of Shakespeare's principal female roles, including Lady Macbeth, Mistress Ford and Lady Anne.

You can see this costume in our free The Play's The Thing exhibition, which offers a unique insight into the history of theatre-making in Stratford-upon-Avon, and is open daily from 12 noon.

📸 2 and 4, Dress worn by Constance Benson as Lady Anne in Richard III, 1901. Photo by Gina Print.

08/06/2026

'And though she be but little, she is fierce.' 💥

A Midsummer Night's Dream, our ★★★★ (The Stage) 90-minute production with Unicorn Theatre, comes to The Other Place in Stratford-upon-Avon this June 🎟️ https://www.rsc.org.uk/a-midsummer-nights-dream

05/06/2026

The text vs the delivery 🔥📃

🎥 Madeline Appiah as Hermione in The Winters Tale, 2025. Directed by Yaël Farber.

04/06/2026

Ever been in a pickle? Or wanted to disappear into thin air? You can thank The Tempest 🌪️

Shakespeare's plays contain many of the words and phrases that we use today — in fact, they were first written down in his works 🪶 It's estimated that Shakespeare contributed around 1,700 words to the English language, simply because he was the first author to write them down

Discover some of the common phrases you can find in The Tempest 👇
- 'in such a pickle' - Trinculo, Act 5 Scene 1
- 'brave new world' - Miranda, Act 5 Scene 1
- 'into thin air' - Prospero, Act 4 Scene 1
- 'what's past is prologue' - Antonio, Act 2 Scene 1
- 'sea change' - Ariel, Act 1 Scene 2

📸 Keir Charles as Trinculo and Guy Henry as Stephano in The Tempest. Photo by Johan Persson.

03/06/2026

Our Casting team is holding general auditions for d/Deaf and disabled actors 🎭

The team will have general meetings for professional actors who identify as d/Deaf or disabled on Tuesday 7 and Wednesday 8 July 2026. These meetings are intended to increase our knowledge of professional d/Deaf and disabled actors.

We are keen to hear from actors in this community who:
- Have at least one paid professional credit, or have undertaken professional-level acting training (e.g. at an accredited drama school or through an equivalent pathway)
- Are over 18 years of age at point of application.

We encourage d/Deaf and disabled applicants from all backgrounds to apply.

Find out more: https://www.rsc.org.uk/news/general-auditions-deaf-and-disabled-actors

The deadline is midnight on Wednesday 17 June 2026.

🎥 BSL by Sophie Stone

30/05/2026

'There's no time for bunting and champagne...' 🥂

Our ★★★★★ (Guardian) production of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui – by Bertolt Brecht, translated by Stephen Sharkey and directed by Seán Linnen – concludes its run in the Swan Theatre today.

A huge round of applause for all involved in bringing the show to life!

🎥 The company of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.

30/05/2026

'If I sell me soul, then it must buy your freedom'

Driftwood, written by Martina Laird and directed by Justin Audibert, plays its final shows today at The Other Place 👏 Well done to the whole team for an electric run

Missed it in Stratford-upon-Avon? Driftwood transfers to London's Kiln Theatre from 3 June 🌴

🎥 Ellen Thomas as Pearl and Martins Imhangbe as Diamond in Driftwood.

29/05/2026

Introducing the cast of George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones: The Mad King 👑

Featuring:
Michael Abubakar, Elizabeth Ayodele, Maxim Ays, Miles Barrow, Islam Bouakkaz, Luke Brady, Marty Breen, Sebastian Charles, Adrian Christopher, Ronan Cullen, Fred Davis, Edem-Ita Duke, Simi Egbejumi-David, Daisy Franks, Mariah Gale, Richard Hansell, Daniel Hawksford, Lewis Howard, April Nerissa Hudson, Tom Larkin, Chelsea Marie, Kel Matsena, Shaun Yusuf McKee, Alexander Newland, Hughie O'Donnell, Huw Parmenter, Noah Ritter, Harmony Rose-Bremner, Kate Rowsell, Michael Shaeffer, Tanisha Spring, Tom Stacy, Matt Tait, Tzarina-Nassor, Marcello Walton and Callum Woodhouse.

This summer experience the world of Westeros like never before.

George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones: The Mad King, adapted by Duncan Macmillan and directed by Dominic Cooke, plays in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre from 20 July to 5 September.

Find out more and book tickets 👉 https://www.rsc.org.uk/game-of-thrones-the-mad-king/

📸 Photo by Johan Persson.