In the Swan Theatre, Simon Evans directs the Olivier award-winning Adrian Lester as Cyrano de Bergerac in a new version by Simon and Debris Stevenson

Josh Roche revives his acclaimed two-part production from the Park Theatre of The Forsyte Saga with original cast members Fiona Hampton, Joseph Millson and Flora Spencer-Longhurst reprising their roles as Irene, Soames and Fleur

In The Other Place, Daniel Raggett returns to direct Sam Heughan (Outlander, Love Again) and Olivier and Tony award-nominated actress Lia Williams (The Crown, Skylight) in an intimate and compelling new production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth  

Tony award-nominated director, writer, composer and actor Whitney White brings her fresh take on Shakespeare's iconic characters to The Other Place in All Is But Fantasy, a groundbreaking theatrical event across two gig-theatre style performances

Lynette Linton directs the world stage premiere of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: a bold and uplifting new musical based on the memoir by William Kamkwamba with book and lyrics by Richy Hughes and music and lyrics by Tim Sutton.

Next Generation present a collaborative new version of Shakespeare and Middleton’s morality fable, Timon of Athens, part of the RSC’s Next Generation talent development programme for young theatre makers from across England

New venues added to First Encounters with Shakespeare King Lear tour with 79 performances across 24 towns and cities across England throughout Autumn 2025

RSC Co-Artistic Directors Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey today announce a new programme of productions playing in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2025/26, 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 is a new production of William Shakespeare’s Henry V, which reunites Co-Artistic Director Tamara Harvey with Alfred Enoch, following their hugely successful collaboration on Pericles in 2024.

In the Swan Theatre, Simon Evans (Staged, The Dazzle, Inside No. 9: Stage/Fright) directs Olivier Award-winning actor Adrian Lester (Sandman, Hustle, National Theatre Othello and Henry V) in the title role of Cyrano de Bergerac in a quick-witted new version by Simon and Debris Stevenson. Josh Roche's two-part production of The Forsyte Saga returns following its critically acclaimed run at the Park Theatre in 2024. Looking ahead to 2026, Lynette Linton, formerly Artistic Director of the Bush Theatre, directs 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 with book and lyrics by Richy Hughes and music and lyrics by Tim Sutton.

In The Other Place, Daniel Raggett returns following his critically acclaimed production of Edward II, to direct Sam Heughan (Outlander, Love Again) in the title role of Macbeth, his debut performance with the company alongside the Olivier and Tony award-nominated Lia Williams (The Crown, Skylight) as Lady Macbeth. Whitney White brings her fresh take on Shakespeare's iconic characters to Stratford-upon-Avon for the first time in All Is But Fantasy; four stories staged across two gig-theatre performances set against a live soundtrack of rock, pop, indie and gospel.

Priority booking for Members and Supporters opens from Tuesday 10 June at 10am with public booking opening on Wednesday 25 June at 10am. For further information on how to become an RSC Member or Supporter, visit here.

Meanwhile, the RSC continues to expand its presence in the West End and internationally 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 (Dr Who) and Edward Bluemel (Sex Education) as rival playwrights Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare. Co-produced with Playful Productions and Elizabeth Williams.

Fresh from its critically acclaimed runs in Stratford-upon-Avon and @sohoplace, the Royal Shakespeare Company, Good Chance, Rachel Styne and Jessica Foung’s co-production of Kyoto makes its US premiere at Lincoln Center, New York from 10 October - 30 November. Written by Good Chance Theatre Artistic Directors, Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson (The Jungle) and nominated for a 2025 Olivier Award for Best New Play, the production will see Tony-award nominated actor Stephen Kunken reprise his celebrated role as oil lobbyist Don Pearlman with further casting to be announced.

Elsewhere in North America, Lolita Chakrabarti’s acclaimed stage adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s best-selling novel Hamnet embarks on a three-date tour of the US in Spring 2026. Co-produced with Neal Street Productions, this ‘elegant and beguiling’ (Evening Standard) stage production, directed by Erica Whyman will visit the Chicago Shakespeare Theater from 10 February - 8 March 2026, after which it will transfer to the Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington, from 17 March - 12 April 2026, and the American Conservatory Theater, San Francisco, from 21 April - 31 May 2026.

RSC Co-Artistic Directors Tamara Harvey and Daniel Evans said: 

“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. From illuminating and daring classical productions to inventive and socially resonant new writing, this season is a celebration of globally inspired stories, thrillingly told by the most exciting theatre artists of today. 

“From Malawi or Manhattan, through French fields, Scottish heaths, mythical lands and Giant country, our 2025/26 programme celebrates what we believe a 21st Century RSC can and should be: global in ambition and outlook, open and collaborative in nature and continuously redefining how Shakespeare and great storytelling can bring joy, connection and improve our understanding of one-another.  

“We are delighted to welcome so many artists in their RSC debuts this season, including internationally renowned acting talents Adrian Lester, Sam Heughan and Lia Williams, playwrights Debris Stevenson, Richy Hughes, Shaun McKenna and Lin Coghlan, alongside the visionary theatre-makers of tomorrow, Lynette Linton, Simon Evans, Josh Roche and Whitney White to name a few.

“We also look forward to continuing and deepening relationships with some of our most recent collaborators, Alfie Enoch and Daniel Raggett who – alongside Emily Burns, returning to direct Measure for Measure this Autumn – played a central role in helping to shape our first season.

“As ever, our pioneering work with young people in schools and communities continues to transform lives both here in the UK and across the globe, whether that’s a first-encounter with Shakespeare’s King Lear performed in a school hall in Skegness or nurturing the next generation of backstage talent with Timon of Athens, part of our Next Generation Act programme made by and for young theatre makers from across the country.

“Meanwhile, our presence in London grows apace, with the announcement that Daniel will direct Ncuti Gatwa and Edward Bluemel in a new co-production of Born With Teeth, our seventh production to be presented in London in 2025 alone, with further details of our upcoming Barbican 2025 programme to be revealed in early July.

“And 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 with the news that Kyoto will make its US premiere at the Lincoln Center, New York this Autumn following its sell-out run @sohoplace earlier this year, the highest grossing play to be presented at the venue since it first opened in 2022.

“Wherever and however our audiences experience the RSC in 2025/26, we hope that they encounter work that is beautifully crafted, inspiring and always entertaining.”