Shakespeare's Globe Presents HENRY VIII, Opens May 15

For the first time the reconstructed Globe Theatre will stage Shakespeare's most sumptuous and spectacular plays - Henry VIII on 15 May. Dominic Rowan will play the iconic Tudor King after his recent performance in the west-end production of The Misanthrope, and celebrated performance as Touchstone in the Globe's 2009 production of As You Like It. Miranda Raison, who stars in the BBC's award winning drama Spooks, will play Henry's notorious second wife Ann Bullen (Anne Boleyn). Anthony Howell, who is best known as Paul Milner in ITV's popular crime drama Foyle's War, will play the Duke of Buckingham.

Other casting includes National Theatre regular Kate Duchêne playing Katherine of Aragon. Kate's National Theatre credits include Waves, Attempts on Her Life and Women of Troy. Clive Wood, whose theatre includes the RSC's Henry VI Parts I, II and III, plays Cardinal Wolsey.

Shakespeare's Henry VIII was famous in its own day as a visual pageant of masques and royal ceremony, and was responsible for burning down the original Globe during a performance on 29 June 1613. The play centres on the young, married and charismatic Henry who will stop at nothing to make Ann Bullen his mistress. Displaying great psychological and political insight, the play examines a Tudor Court locked in an epic power struggle and this production is an opportunity to see a mature work of Shakespeare all too rarely performed.

Director Mark Rosenblatt returns to the Globe to direct Henry VIII after his acclaimed production of Jack Shepherd's Holding Fire! in 2007. His other credits include Arthur Schnitzler's Professor Bernhardi (Dumbfounded & Oxford Stage Company/Arcola Theatre), C.P. Taylor's Bread and Butter (Dumbfounded/Oxford Stage Company/Southwark Playhouse/Tricycle Theatre) and Somerset Maugham's The Circle (Oxford Stage Company/Tour/Yvonne Arnaud).

Mark is joined by composer Nigel Hess whose previous Globe credits include the 2008 production of The Merry Wives of Windsor (also being revived this year) and 2009's Romeo and Juliet. Designer Angela Davies recently worked on The National Theatre of Wales' inaugural production A Good Night Out in the Valleys and her previous credits include Life is a Dream (Donmar Warehouse), and Mahabharata (Sadlers Wells).

Shakespeare's Globe's Kings and Rogues theatre season includes Shakespeare's Macbeth, Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 and The Merry Wives of Windsor. The Globe will present two new plays - Anne Boleyn by Howard Brenton and Bedlam by Nell Leyshon. In addition to its main stage programme, the Globe's two regionAl Small-scale tours from 2009 return to exchange venue circuits - The Comedy of Errors and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Booking:
Phone 020 7401 9919 or 020 7087 7398
In person Mon-Sat 10am-6pm (8pm on performance days)
Sundays 10am-5pm (7pm on performances days)
On-line www.shakespeares-globe.org
Tickets £5.00 - £35.00

Education Events:
Setting the Scene (pre-performance) - 29 June, 10 August
Talking Theatre (post matinee) - Saturdays 29 May, 29 June, 26 June, 10 July
Study Day - Saturday 22 May
Childsplay (Workshops for 8-11 year olds during the matinee play) - 22 May, 29 May, 19 June

Access Performances:
Sign Language-interpreted performance - 19 June at 2pm
Audio Described performance - 26 June at 2pm

Shakespeare's Globe Access Line 020 7902 1409 or email access@shakespearesglobe.com