Shakespeare’s Globe Unveils Cast And Creative Team For ROMEO AND JULIET

Shakespeare’s Globe has announced the full cast and creative team for the return of Playing Shakespeare with Deutsche Bank: Romeo and Juliet, directed by Lucy Cuthbertson, Director of Education at Shakespeare’s Globe. The production will run at the Globe Theatre from March 5 through April 12, 2026.

Returning from the 2024 production are Sharon Ballard as Lady Capulet, Simeon Desvignes as Paris, Marième Diouf as Friar, Miriam Grace Edwards as Nurse, Felixe Forde as Juliet, Owen Gawthorpe as Cyclist, Liam King as Tybalt, and Hayden Mampasi as Romeo. Joining the cast for 2026 are Mason Clarke-Whale as Ensemble, Chaya Gupta as Benvolio, Keanu Adolphus Johnson as Mercutio, Patrick Osborne as Capulet, and Inez Solomon-Gardner as Ensemble.

The creative team includes assistant director Jessica Warbeck, composers Ben Hales and David Price, costume supervisor Kate Hemstock, designer Natalie Pryce, fight director Kevin McCurdy, intimacy director Claire Llewellyn, movement director Katie Webster, voice coach Ellen Hartley, and wellbeing lead Adam Bamborough. Owen Gawthorpe also serves as cycle consultant. Casting was by Becky Paris CDG, Head of Casting at Shakespeare’s Globe, with Alice Walters as casting associate.

The revival marks the 20th anniversary of the Globe’s Playing Shakespeare with Deutsche Bank education programme. The production is designed for young audiences and explores the impact of a fractured society on young people’s lives. Each year, the programme provides more than 26,000 free tickets to pupils aged 11–16 from non-selective state secondary schools in London and Birmingham, alongside subsidised tickets for schools nationwide.

Dedicated schools’ performances will take place from February 26 through March 25, 2026. In addition to performances, the programme includes student workshops, CPD sessions for teachers, and free learning resources supporting GCSE-level study and beyond.

Over the past two decades, the project has staged 289 performances, reaching more than 333,000 students with free tickets and a further 65,000 students through subsidised access. The programme has also delivered more than 2,200 free workshops for over 55,000 students and more than 100 CPD sessions for teachers.

In a statement, Cuthbertson said she was pleased to welcome back the 2024 production and original cast members, noting the programme’s ongoing collaboration with Deutsche Bank and the Mayor of London’s Violence Reduction Unit to extend work addressing youth violence.