The RSC’s latest programme announcement really does give us something to look forward to, bringing together stories from across the centuries and from across the globe.
Joining previously announced productions of The Winter’s Tale, Measure for Measure and The BFG in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre a new production of Henry V has been added to the schedule.
In the Swan Theatre, there’s a quick-witted new version of Edmond Rostand’s play Cyrano de Bergerac and a return of Josh Roche‘s critically acclaimed two-part production of The Forsyte Saga.
Looking ahead to 2026, there’s the stage premiere of a new musical of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, based on the award-winning memoir of the same name by William Kamkwamba.
In The Other Place you can see Macbeth, and Whitney White’s fresh take on Shakespeare’s iconic characters in All Is But Fantasy; four stories against a live soundtrack of rock, pop, indie and gospel.
Here are a few more details:
CYRANO DE BERGERAC
by Edmond Rostand in a new version by Simon Evans and Debris Stevenson
Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Saturday 27 September – Saturday 15 November
Tickets from £10-72.50
Poet, soldier and philosopher. Cyrano de Bergerac burns with brilliance. He’s fiercely funny and urgently romantic – but behind the veil of wit is one large problem: his nose.
Haunted by doubts and too proud to beg, he watches from the shadows as Roxane – bold, beautiful and seemingly unreachable – falls for another man, Christian. But this handsome, tongue-tied young suitor knows his only hope of charming Roxane is to seduce her with words.
And only one person can help…
MACBETH
By William Shakespeare
The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon
Thursday 9 October – Saturday 6 December
Tickets from £25-47.00
Daniel Raggett, whose acclaimed Edward II played in the Swan Theatre earlier this year, directs Shakespeare’s story of love, power and ambition in the intimate setting of The Other Place. Sam Heughan (Outlander, Love Again) makes his RSC debut as Macbeth. Award-winning Lia Williams (The Crown, Skylight) is Lady Macbeth.
THE FORSYTE SAGA PARTS 1 & 2
By John Galsworthy: Adapted by Shaun McKenna and Lin Coghlan
Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Part 1: Irene: Friday 28 November – Saturday 10 January
Part 2: Fleur: Monday 1 December – Saturday 10 January
Tickets from £10-£72.50
1886. The Empire is at its peak. Business is good for the Forsytes. Over sixty years they have invested, acquired and saved theiway towards wealth. But the Forsyte lust for ownership is relentless.
Soames’ possessive love for his wife Irene shatters their marriage. Her break for freedom triggers events which reverberate down the generations.
John Galsworthy’s Nobel-winning saga about love, ownership and the end of empire is retold by Shaun McKenna and Lin Coghlan across two plays, spanning over 40 years from 1886 to 1927.
ALL IS BUT FANTASY
Written, composed and directed by Whitney White
The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon
Lady Macbeth, Emilia: Wednesday 21 January – Saturday 21 February
Juliet, Richard III: Wednesday 28 January – Saturday 21 February
Tickets from £25-£45
Lady Macbeth, Juliet, Emilia and Richard III. Each has a finger on the self-destruct button, sometimes by accident, sometimes by design. But why should loving too hard, aspiring too high or living too fast cut the story short?
Award-winning artist Whitney White explodes into The Other Place with a groundbreaking theatrical event, featuring four of Shakespeare’s most famous characters.
Their stories are revisited across two high-energy gig-theatre performances, catalysed by a red-hot soundtrack of musical genres from rock and soul to pop and gospel.
With the three Witches as backing singers, one question comes up time and again:
Can you have ambition and love and still be alive in Act V?
THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND
A NEW MUSICAL
Book and Lyrics by Richy Hughes
Music and Lyrics by Tim Sutton
Adapted from/based on the book by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Tuesday 10 February – Saturday 28 March
Tickets from £10-£60
William wants to build a windmill. Nobody believes he can – not his father nor his friends. Hope feels out of reach where the land is thirsty, but the rains don’t come. As drought closes in on his family’s farm and the village he loves, everyone prays for a miracle.
All William has to hand are some library books and scraps of old machinery. The rest must come from within. Will he defy expectations? Will the wind turn the sails of his invention, produce the gift of power, and give hope for tomorrow?
HENRY V
By William Shakespeare
Saturday 14 March – Saturday 25 April
Tickets from £16-£72.50
Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
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?
Book your stay with us and enjoy all the delights that the RSC have to offer in their upcoming season.
