The Royal Shakespeare Company is betting massive on star energy and international attain with its 2025/26 season, headlined by “Outlander” heartthrob Sam Heughan making his RSC debut in “Macbeth” and Olivier winner Adrian Lester taking up “Cyrano de Bergerac.”
RSC co-artistic administrators Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey unveiled the slate Tuesday, which spans continents from Malawi to Manhattan and marks a major worldwide enlargement for the Stratford-upon-Avon establishment.
The season’s marquee casting contains Heughan starring reverse Olivier and Tony nominee Lia Williams (“The Crown”) in a manufacturing of “Macbeth” at The Other Place, directed by Daniel Raggett. The manufacturing runs Oct. 9 via Dec. 6.
Meanwhile, Lester will headline “Cyrano de Bergerac” in a brand new adaptation by Simon Evans and Debris Stevenson on the Swan Theatre from Sept. 27 to Nov. 15.
The RSC can be making waves within the West End with “Born With Teeth,” starring “Doctor Who” star Ncuti Gatwa and “Sex Education’s” Edward Bluemel as rival playwrights Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare. The manufacturing, directed by Evans, runs on the Wyndham’s Theatre from Aug. 13 via Nov. 1.
The worldwide enlargement continues with the U.S. premiere of “Kyoto” at Lincoln Center’s Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater this fall, that includes Tony nominee Stephen Kunken reprising his position as oil lobbyist Don Pearlman. The manufacturing, which earned an Olivier nomination for Best New Play, transfers direct from its sold-out @sohoplace run.
Spring 2026 will see Lolita Chakrabarti’s adaptation of “Hamnet” tour three main U.S. cities, together with Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, and American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco.
Back in Stratford, Harvey reunites with Alfred Enoch for “Henry V” within the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, following their acclaimed 2024 collaboration on “Pericles.” The manufacturing runs March 14 via April 25, 2026.
The season contains “The Winter’s Tale” (July 12 – Aug. 30) within the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, adopted by “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” at The Other Place (Aug. 4-31). August additionally sees James Ijames’ Pulitzer Prize-winning “Fat Ham” on the Swan Theatre (Aug. 15 – Sept. 13), whereas Emily Burns returns to direct “Measure for Measure” within the Royal Shakespeare Theatre (Sept. 13 – Oct. 25).
Other highlights embrace Josh Roche’s revival of his two-part “Forsyte Saga” with unique forged members Fiona Hampton, Joseph Millson and Flora Spencer-Longhurst returning, and the world stage premiere of musical “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” directed by former Bush Theatre inventive director Lynette Linton.
Tony nominee Whitney White brings her experimental “All Is But Fantasy” to The Other Place, reimagining 4 Shakespeare characters throughout two “gig-theatre” performances with dwell rock, pop and gospel soundtracks.
The season additionally options the RSC’s Next Generation expertise improvement program with a collaborative new model of “Timon of Athens” by Shakespeare and Middleton at The Other Place (Aug. 20-21), and “First Encounters with Shakespeare: King Lear” each on the Swan Theatre (Oct. 23-31) and touring 24 cities and cities throughout England. The family-friendly vacation providing “The BFG” runs within the Royal Shakespeare Theatre from November 25 via January 31.
“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,” Harvey and Evans mentioned in a joint assertion.
“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,” the administrators famous.
The firm’s instructional initiatives proceed with “First Encounters with Shakespeare: King Lear” touring 24 cities and cities throughout England, reaching over half 1,000,000 younger individuals yearly via its Creative Learning packages.
