Dylan Moran, Francesca Annis, Patti Smith and More Join Ralph Fiennes / Theatre Royal Bath Season

Award-winning comedian and actor Dyland Moran, BAFTA winner Francesca Annis, and TV stars Patrick Robinson and Charlie Rowe are amongst the cast announced today as part of the Ralph Fiennes / Theatre Royal Bath SEASON. Plus, an evening with legendary writer and musician Patti Smith has been announced.

Dylan Moran, Patrick Robinson and Charlie Rowe join the previously announced Dame Harriet Walter and Gloria Obianyo in the new production of Shakespeare's comedy AS YOU LIKE IT, directed by Ralph Fiennes.

Dylan Moran, who plays the role of Touchstone, has had a thirty-year career interspersed with award-winning worldwide stand-up comedy tours and much-loved screen appearances. Since winning the Perrier comedy award in 1996, he created and starred in the BAFTA winning series Black Books, and appeared on screen in Notting Hill, Shaun of the Dead, The Witcher and Stuck. 

Patrick Robinson plays Duke Senior and Duke Frederick. He has appeared regularly with the RSC and National Theatre with roles including Edmund in King Lear, Banquo in Macbeth and Don Pedro in Much Ado About Nothing. He is well-known for his long-running role as Ash in the BBC series Casualty, with television appearances in some of the most popular series including Death in Paradise, The Last Kingdom, The Sister Boniface Mysteries and Vera.

Charlie Rowe made his first appearance on screen in the 2007 movie The Golden Compass and recently starred on TV in Slow Horses and Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light. Charlie will play Orlando.

They join Olivier Award winner Harriet Walter, playing Jaques, whose four-decade stage career has seen her acclaimed for Shakespearean roles on both sides of the Atlantic, and rising star Gloria Obianyo who plays Rosalind. Gloria's stage credits include her prize-winning performance in The National Theatre's Paradise and recently appeared on screen in the Disney+/Star Wars series, Andor.

The cast for AS YOU LIKE IT also includes Sam Alexander (Le Beau/First Lord) Hannah Azuonye (Lady-In-Waiting/Lord in Arden), Matt Ray Brown (Dennis/Lord in Arden), Michael Brophy (Corin), Imogen Elliott (Phebe), Matt Gavan (Sir Oliver Martext), Amber Grappy (Audrey), Emilio Iannucci (Jaques de Boys), Amber James (Celia), Paul Jesson (Adam), Nitai Levi (Amiens), Jake Neads (Oliver), Richard Pryal (Charles/William/Lord in Arden) and Ethan Thomas (Silvius).  

AS YOU LIKE IT, directed by Ralph Fiennes, is at the Theatre Royal Bath from Friday 15 August – Saturday 6 September.

Francesca Annis will star alongside Ralph Fiennes in the world premiere of SMALL HOTEL, a new play by acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz, and directed by Holly Race Roughan.

Since her first major film role alongside Elizabeth Taylor in the epic Cleopatra, Francesca Annis established herself as one of our most acclaimed actresses. A stellar stage career with the RSC and National Theatre encompassed many iconic female roles including Juliet opposite Ian McKellen's Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. A six-time BAFTA TV award nominee, winning for the ITV series Lillie, other notable screen roles range from an acclaimed Lady Macbeth in Roman Polanski's Macbeth, to co-starring with Michael Gambon and Judi Dench in BBC series Cranford.

In SMALL HOTEL, Ralph Fiennes plays Larry, an acclaimed TV celebrity whose life and career are rapidly unravelling. As he is forced to unpick his past and confront his future, the audience are introduced to a collection of unforgettable character, including his troubled twin brother Richard, his unpredictable former lover Marianne, and his domineering mother Athena played by Francesca Annis. Further casting is to be announced.

Rebecca Lenkiewicz is an acclaimed playwright and screenwriter whose work has been performed all over the world. With Her Naked Skin in 2008, Rebecca became the first living female playwright to have an original play performed on The National Theatre's Olivier stage.

Holly Race Roughan is the Artistic Director of award-winning touring theatre company Headlong.

SMALL HOTEL is at the Theatre Royal from Friday 3 – Saturday 18 October 2025.

The Ralph Fiennes / Theatre Royal Bath Season includes an evening with one the legendary musician, artist and writer Patti Smith.

Patti Smith is the author of the National Book Award winner, Just Kids, as well as Woolgathering, M Train, Year of the Monkey, and A Book of Days. Her seminal album Horses has been hailed as one of the top 100 albums of all time. Her global exhibitions include Strange Messenger, Land 250, Camera Solo, and 18 Stations. In 2005, the French Ministry of Culture awarded Smith the title of Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres. Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, Smith is also the recipient of Sweden's Polar Prize for significant achievements in music, the 2020 PEN Literary Service Award and The Legion d'Honneur, France's highest order of merit in 2022.

Accompanying Patti Smith will be Tony Shanahan and Jackson Smith.

AN EVENING WITH Patti Smith is at the Theatre Royal Bath on Sunday 6 July.