We are thrilled to share with you our new season of work in Stratford-upon-Avon, where we are delighted to collaborate with some of the most renowned artists of our time.

From European classics searingly retold for today to plays by thrilling new voices, alongside Shakespeare’s two magical and mythical stories, this season's epic productions are united in their exploration of the different meanings of home and our bonds to family, community and country.

Kenneth Branagh returns to our stages - after more than 30 years - as Prospero in Sir Richard Eyre’s new production of The Tempest, a meditation on forgiveness and freedom. It will play in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

He will also join Academy Award winner Helen Hunt in The Cherry Orchard, Chekhov’s prescient pre-Revolution play, directed by Co-Artistic Director Tamara Harvey in a new version by Laura Wade. It will be staged in the Swan Theatre, which is also the setting for the first ever production at the RSC of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. Double Olivier Award-winning actor Mark Gatiss takes on the role of the eponymous gangster in Bertolt Brecht’s biting satire, updated by Stephen Sharkey and directed by Seán Linnen in his RSC debut.

A world premiere comes to The Other Place: actor Martina Laird’s debut play, Driftwood - a gripping story about an estranged Trinidadian family - which is directed by the Artistic Director of Chichester Festival Theatre, Justin Audibert. After Stratford, it will play in London at the Kiln Theatre.

It’s followed by A Midsummer Night’s Dream, created with the Unicorn Theatre especially for children and their families, and directed by their Artistic Director, Rachel Bagshaw, and edited by Robin Belfield. Then, this Christmas, audiences of all ages will be able to enjoy A Line Art’s Ready Steady Colour’s Christmas Feast, a fun festive experience of mealtime with a twist!

All this comes to the RSC this season, as well as a vast programme of events for young people, schools, lifelong learners and families, and our free exhibition, The Play’s The Thing. When you visit, do sample the menu and the view from the Rooftop Restaurant, grab a snack and a coffee from the Riverside Cafe or drop into Susie’s Cafe Bar in The Other Place.

We hope you’ll make the RSC your home for live performance this season, and join us for epic stories that will challenge, astonish and delight. We can’t wait to welcome you.

Daniel Evans & Tamara Harvey
RSC Co-Artistic Directors

NEWLY ANNOUNCED

2025/26 IN FULL

Royal Shakespeare Theatre

• Measure For Measure | Emily Burns returns to direct a new staging of William Shakespeare’s razor-sharp examination of hypocrisy and corruption | 13 September - 25 October 2025
• The BFG *EXTRA WEEK ADDED* | Roald Dahl’s unforgettable story in Tom Wells’ magical new adaptation, directed by RSC Co-Artistic Director Daniel Evans, an RSC, Chichester Festival Theatre and Roald Dahl Story Company production, with a run now extended by one week | 25 November 2025 - 7 February 2026
• Henry V | Co-Artistic Director Tamara Harvey reunites with Alfred Enoch, who returns to the RSC as Shakespeare’s rebellious, carefree young man who becomes the King of England overnight | 14 March - 25 April 2026

NEWLY ANNOUNCED

• The Tempest | Kenneth Branagh takes the role of Prospero in Shakespeare’s final play, a meditation on art, power and freedom, directed by Sir Richard Eyre | 13 May - 20 June 2026

SWAN THEATRE 

• Cyrano De Bergerac | Olivier Award-winning actor Adrian Lester is Cyrano, fiercely funny and intensely romantic but with one large problem: his nose. Directed by Simon Evans | 27 September - 15 November 2025
• The Forsyte Saga Parts 1 & 2 | Josh Roche directs John Galsworthy’s Nobel-winning saga about love, ownership and the end of Empire, retold in this acclaimed, two-part ‘masterpiece’ (Times)
  Irene | 28 November 2025 - 10 January 2026
  Fleur | 1 December 2025 - 10 January 2026
• The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind | Lynette Linton (former Artistic Director of The Bush) directs this bold and uplifting new musical that tells the true story of William Kamkwamba, based on his memoir and Chiwetel Ejiofor’s film | 10 February - 28 March 2026

NEWLY ANNOUNCED

• The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui | Double Olivier Award-winner Mark Gatiss plays the notorious Arturo Ui in Stephen Sharkey’s version of Brecht’s riotous 1941 ‘gangster spectacle’, a blistering satire on Hitler’s ascent to power. Seán Linnen’s RSC directorial debut | 11 April - 30 May 2026
• The Cherry Orchard | Helen Hunt and Kenneth Branagh star and RSC Co-Artistic Director Tamara Harvey directs Laura Wade’s vital new version of Anton Chekhov’s epic final play, written on the brink of the Russian Revolution | 10 July - 29 August 2026

THE OTHER PLACE

• Macbeth | Daniel Raggett returns from his triumphant Edward II to direct Sam Heughan (Outlander) and Lia Williams (The Crown) as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare’s story of love, power and ambition | 9 October - 6 December 2025
• All Is But Fantasy | Can you have ambition and love and still be alive in Act V? Whitney White directs and stars in this groundbreaking theatrical event of two high-energy gig-theatre performances that revisit the stories of four of Shakespeare's most famous characters.
  Lady Macbeth, Emilia | 21 January - 21 February 2026
  Juliet, Richard III | 28 January - 21 February 2026

NEWLY ANNOUNCED

• Ready Steady Colour’s Christmas Feast | Take a seat at our make-believe Christmas restaurant, choose your ‘food’ and colour it in. An A Line Art Production, children and adults are invited to take part together in a merry blend of creativity, comedy and music | 10 December 2025 - 3 January 2026
• Driftwood | A deeply evocative story of self-determination and the search for family and belonging in 1950s Caribbean, Martina Laird’s debut play is directed by Chichester Festival Theatre’s Artistic Director Justin Audibert | 17 April - 30 May 2026
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream | Our first co-production with the UK’s leading children’s theatre, the Unicorn, Shakespeare’s classic comedy is directed by Rachel Bagshaw, Artistic Director of the Unicorn, for ages 7 and above | 19 June - 30 August 2026

IN LONDON

• Born With Teeth | Daniel Evans directs Ncuti Gatwa as Christopher Marlowe and Edward Bluemel as William Shakespeare in Liz Duffy Adams’ thrilling imagining of the relationship between two literary icons at odds with their time | Wyndham’s Theatre, London | Until 1 November 2025
• Titus Andronicus | Director Max Webster examines Shakespeare’s bloodiest play through the lens of 21st century aggression, with John Hodgkinson in the title role | Hampstead Theatre | 15 September - 11 October 2025
• My Neighbour Totoro | The multi-award winning stage adaptation of Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbour Totoro continues to delight audiences in London's West End | Gillian Lynne Theatre | Until 29 March 2026
• Matilda The Musical | The internationally-renowned musical has been seen by 12 million people across 100 cities around the world. Based on the beloved book by Roald Dahl continues to play to packed houses in the West End | Cambridge Theatre, London | Until 24 May 2026

TOURING

• First Encounters: King Lear | This 80-minute production uses an edited version of Shakespeare’s play to create the perfect introduction for young people aged 7-13 and their families, making his story about family, power and betrayal relevant for a new generation of theatregoers | 12 September - 6 December 2025
• Matilda The Musical: UK & Ireland Tour | Our multi-award winning musical, inspired by the beloved book by Roald Dahl, embarks on its second tour across the UK and Ireland, with all 15 venues now announced, including Leicester, Bradford, Liverpool, Plymouth, Sunderland, Edinburgh, Manchester, Southampton, Bristol, Birmingham, Norwich, Dublin, Milton Keynes, Glasgow and Cardiff | 10 October 2025 - 17 January 2027
• Hamlet: UK Tour | Following its in smash hit run Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare’s epic family saga Hamlet heads on a UK tour in 2026, directed by multi award-winning Director and incoming Artistic Director of the Old Vic, Rupert Goold | 25 February - 25 April 2026

BOOKING INFORMATION

For all newly announced productions in Stratford-upon-Avon, tickets go on sale:

Artists Circle/Gold Patrons Monday 22 September
Silver Patrons Tuesday 23 September
Bronze Patrons Wednesday 24 September
Members Tuesday 30 September
Subscribers Tuesday 7 October
Public Booking Wednesday 8 October

Access Priority Booking when you join one of our membership schemes, starting at just £20

JOIN TODAY

For run extensions and tours:

The BFG new dates go on sale to the public on 22 September (no Priority Booking)

Explore availability for The BFG 

Matilda The Musical UK & Ireland Tour on-sale dates vary

Discover Matilda Tour venues and dates

Hamlet Tour venues are all open for booking

Discover Hamlet Tour Venues and Dates