Royal Shakespeare Company Announces 2010 Season With MATILDA, HAMLET, et al.

MATILDA, a new musical based on author Roald Dahl's 1988 children's book of the same name will be staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. The musical will premiere in late 2010, under the direction of Tony Award winner Matthew Warchus, with book by Dennis Kelly and music and lyrics by Tim Minchin.

The 2010 season will also feature productions of Hamlet, directed by Tarell Alvin McCraney; The Comedy of Errors, directed by Paul Hunter; King Lear, directed by David Farr; Romeo and Juliet, directed by Rupert Goold; Antony and Cleopatra, directed by Michael Boyd; and Morte D'Arthur, in a new adaptation by Mike Poulton, directed by Gregory Doran.

Operating under its present name since 1961, The Royal Shakespeare Company is located at Stratford-upon-Avon, with bases also in London and Newcastle upon Tyne. It is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly-funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal National Theatre. The company is currently under the direction of artistic director Michael Boyd.

Many notable actors have appeared in RSC productions, including Sean Bean, Brian Blessed, Kenneth Branagh, Tim Curry, Michael Gambon, Judi Dench, Mia Farrow, John Gielgud, Nigel Hawthorne, Dustin Hoffman, Jeremy Irons, Derek Jacobi, Ben Kingsley, Jude Law, Vivien Leigh, John Lithgow, Alec McCowen, Ian McKellen, Helen Mirren, Gary Oldman, Peter O'Toole, Vanessa Redgrave, and Patrick Stewart.