Royal Court Theatre News

Olivier Award-nominated actor Johnny Flynn will play singer-songwriter Paul Simon in The Road Home, Bill Condon's forthcoming historical musical drama.

Theatre World Awards Board of Directors has named John Lithgow as the winner of the 13th Annual John Willis Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.

Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is May 13, 2026 and it's time to catch up on all of the theatrical happenings you may have missed in the last 24 hours.

SHANTIFY, the sea shanty musical featuring West End performers reimagining songs by Dolly Parton, Bon Jovi, and Beyoncé, returns to London's West End for a two-week season at Underbelly Boulevard Soho following runs at Edinburgh Fringe and Ambassadors Theatre.

First staged last year at Theatre Royal Bath, Gary Oldman directs, set-designs, co-produces and performs Samuel Beckett’s 1958 one-act play, Krapp's Last Tape at London's Royal Court, the theatre where the play made its UK debut back in 1958. But this production is no exercise in ego, but an emotionally involved and truly captivating performance.

The Royal Court Theatre announced the full cast and creative team for ARCHDUKE, the European premiere of Rajiv Joseph's play directed by Lyndsey Turner, featuring Olivier Award-winner Chris Walley and Marc Wootton.

Kick It Anywhere, the company behind sell-out hit Brixton Calling, will present THE JOLLY FISHERMAN at Edinburgh Festival Fringe's Underbelly George Square, starring Alex Hill and Olivier-nominated Jonny Khan.

Original cast members Barry Bostwick, Nell Campbell, and Patricia Quinn will tour the U.S. for THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW Spooktacular screenings, including a stop at The Fabulous Fox in St. Louis.

THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, directed by Tony Award-winner Sam Pinkleton, has extended its Broadway run at Studio 54 through late 2026, featuring Luke Evans, Stephanie Hsu, and Juliette Lewis.

Jodie McNee and Olivier Award-winning Nigel Harman lead the cast of FUN HOME, the Tony Award-winning musical, in its Northern premiere at Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre, directed by Sarah Frankcom.

The Mainstage Prize, a new £10,000 national playwriting award supported by Riverside Studios, launched with former RSC Head of New Work Pippa Hill chairing the judging panel. The inaugural theme is horror.

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center at CUNY will present WORLD VOICES, a four-day festival featuring staged readings of new plays in translation by playwrights from Tuscarora/Canada, Austria, France, Senegal, and Germany.

Hennepin Arts will present THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW Spooktacular Tour at Minneapolis' State Theatre, reuniting original cast members Barry Bostwick, Nell Campbell, and Patricia Quinn for a 4K screening with live Shadow Cast performance.

BroadwayWorld breaks down how and why The Rocky Horror Show callouts began and explains what you could expect before taking a jump to the left, a step to the right and joining Dr. Frank-N-Furter in Transsexual, Transylvania. 

The Royal Court Theatre and Jerwood Foundation announced six playwrights and producers as recipients of the inaugural Jerwood Royal Court Commissioning Scheme, awarding grants of up to £6,000 each to support new play commissions across the UK.

Kimberly Belflower's JOHN PROCTOR IS THE VILLAIN, directed by Tony Award-winner Danya Taymor, will transfer to Wyndham's Theatre following a sold-out run at the Royal Court Theatre. The production was nominated for seven Tony Awards, including Best Play.

“I’m just here to talk about my divorce,” says Yousef Sweid right after a preamble about the reception of political productions. He and Isabella Sedlak write a poignant reflection on how beliefs and birthplaces raise us and shackle us at once. Between The River and The Sea approaches the Palestinian genocide from a personal standpoint, never making it its focus, yet permeating every word with the weight of it. It introduces a Christian-Arab-Palestinian-Israeli father who’s raising two Jewish-Arab-Austrian children in Berlin. Yousef (Sweid) is trying to get custody of his youngest after his second divorce, after his ex-wife told him she wants to move back to their home country. 

Rachel Bagshaw has joined the UK Theatre Board. The Unicorn Theatre Artistic Director brings experience in directing, engagement, and accessibility advocacy. The appointment highlights a continued focus on audience development and inclusion.

Nassim Soleimanpour and Omar Elerian launched new theatre company There & Then, with WHITE RABBIT RED RABBIT returning to London's Duchess Theatre featuring David Tennant, Riz Ahmed, Jodie Whittaker, and more.

As the name suggests, Midgitte Bardot is physically short albeit not short on ideas, impact, or charisma. And not just short but, at just 129cm, the shortest drag performer in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records.