The Royal Shakespeare Company is betting big on star power and global reach with its 2025/26 season, headlined by “Outlander” heartthrob Sam Heughan making his RSC debut in “Macbeth” and Olivier winner Adrian Lester taking on “Cyrano de Bergerac.”
RSC co-artistic directors Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey unveiled the slate Tuesday, which spans continents from Malawi to Manhattan and marks a significant international expansion for the Stratford-upon-Avon institution.
The season’s marquee casting includes Heughan starring opposite Olivier and Tony nominee Lia Williams (“The Crown”) in a production of “Macbeth” at The Other Place, directed by Daniel Raggett. The production runs Oct. 9 through Dec. 6.
Meanwhile, Lester will headline “Cyrano de Bergerac” in a new adaptation by Simon Evans and Debris Stevenson at the Swan Theatre from Sept. 27 to Nov. 15.
The RSC is also making waves in 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 production, directed by Evans, runs at the Wyndham’s Theatre from Aug. 13 through Nov. 1.
The international expansion continues with the U.S. premiere of “Kyoto” at Lincoln Center’s Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater this fall, featuring Tony nominee Stephen Kunken reprising his role as oil lobbyist Don Pearlman. The production, 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 major U.S. cities, including 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” in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, following their acclaimed 2024 collaboration on “Pericles.” The production runs March 14 through April 25, 2026.
The season includes “The Winter’s Tale” (July 12 – Aug. 30) in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, followed by “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” at The Other Place (Aug. 4-31). August also sees James Ijames’ Pulitzer Prize-winning “Fat Ham” at the Swan Theatre (Aug. 15 – Sept. 13), while Emily Burns returns to direct “Measure for Measure” in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre (Sept. 13 – Oct. 25).
Other highlights include Josh Roche’s revival of his two-part “Forsyte Saga” with original cast 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 artistic director Lynette Linton.
Tony nominee Whitney White brings her experimental “All Is But Fantasy” to The Other Place, reimagining four Shakespeare characters across two “gig-theatre” performances with live rock, pop and gospel soundtracks.
The season also features the RSC’s Next Generation talent development program with a collaborative new version of “Timon of Athens” by Shakespeare and Middleton at The Other Place (Aug. 20-21), and “First Encounters with Shakespeare: King Lear” both at the Swan Theatre (Oct. 23-31) and touring 24 towns and cities across England. The family-friendly holiday offering “The BFG” runs in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre from November 25 through 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 said in a joint statement.
“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 directors noted.
The company’s educational initiatives continue with “First Encounters with Shakespeare: King Lear” touring 24 towns and cities across England, reaching over half a million young people annually through its Creative Learning programs.
