Royal Shakespeare Company Announces 2016 London Season

The Royal Shakespeare Company has announced new details of its 2016 London season. The Alchemist and Doctor Faustus will transfer directly from the Swan Theatre to the Barbican, playing in rep for a four-week run from August, with the same cast directed by Polly Findlay and Maria Aberg respectively. They will be followed by Cymbeline and King Lear, transferring from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, playing an eight-week run in rep from late October, directed by Melly Still and Gregory Doran respectively. In addition, following their Chichester Festival Theatre run, Love's Labours Lost and Much Ado About Nothing will travel to the West End's Theatre Royal Haymarket in December.

The history play cycle King & Country: Shakespeare's Great Cycle of Kings began its tour at the Barbican earlier this year, and next month A Midsummer Night's Dream: A Play for the Nation will make a stop at the Barbican for a week's performance, with London amateurs from the Tower Theatre joining the cast as the Rude Mechanicals, and pupils from Eastbury Community and Beam Primary schools in Barking and Dagenham playing Titania's fairy train.

Six other RSC productions will play in London during this 400th anniversary year of Shakespeare's death, including two shows from the company's current Swan Theatre repertoire, alongside the RSC's long-running production of Matilda The Musical in the West End.

Catherine Mallyon, RSC Executive Director, said today: "I am thrilled that we are able to share so much of our work with audiences in London this year, with a total of 12 productions playing at the Barbican and the West End. Our work in the wonderful Swan Theatre has often missed out in transfers, so I am glad that Maria Aberg's Faustus and Polly Findlay's Alchemist will play at the Barbican, along with our two epic Shakespeare plays Cymbeline and King Lear.

"I am also delighted about our revival of Christopher Luscombe's heart-warming Lost and Won double bill, Love's Labour's Lost and Much Ado About Nothing, at the Haymarket - with Edward Bennett reprising his roles as Berowne and Benedick."

Toni Racklin, the Barbican's Head of Theatre, said: "Continuing our ongoing collaboration with the RSC we are thrilled that Polly Findlay, Melly Still and Maria Aberg make their Barbican debuts and we look forward to welcoming back Gregory Doran and Antony Sher with their highly anticipated new production of King Lear. This bumper autumn season sees two clever pairings of work by Shakespeare and his contemporaries from two of the RSC's Stratford-Upon-Avon stages."

Jonathan Church, Artistic Director of Chichester Festival Theatre, said: "We are delighted to be welcoming the Royal Shakespeare Company to our stage this autumn with the ingenious pairing of Love's Labour's Lost and Much Ado About Nothing, and to be collaborating with the RSC and the Haymarket to transfer the productions to London - particularly in this 400th anniversary year of Shakespeare's death."

The Alchemist and Doctor Faustus are at the Barbican September 2-October 1, Cymbeline and King Lear October 31-December 23. Love's Labour's Lost and Much Ado About Nothing are at Theatre Royal Haymarket December 9-March 18, 2017. Public booking opens on April 25. For more information and to book tickets, call the RSC box office on 01789 403 493, Barbican box office on 020 7638 8891, Theatre Royal Haymarket box office on 020 7930 8800, or visit www.rsc.org.uk

Picture credits: Helen Maybanks, Topher McGrillis

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