Patrick Stewart & More Join Royal Shakespeare Company's 50th Anniversary Season

The Royal Shakespeare Company has announced the schedule of productions for its upcoming 50th anniversary season. The lineup will feature a season of nine plays, including The Merchant of Venice starring Patrick Stewart as Shylock, in the newly transformed Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.

The Royal Shakespeare Theatre season opens with Macbeth, directed by RSC artistic director Michael Boyd and starring Jonathan Slinger in the title role. Aislín McGuckin will join the cast as Lady Macbeth, and the play will begin previews on April 16 and open on April 26. Next up will be The Merchant of Venice, starring Patrick Stewart in the role of moneylender Shylock and Susannah Fielding as Portia. Rupert Goold will direct the production, which begins previews May 13 and opens May 19. Nancy Meckler will direct A Midsummer Night’s Dream, starring Pippa Nizon, which will begin July 29 and open on August 4. Peter Weiss’ Marat/Sade, adapted by Geoffrey Skelton and directed by Anthony Nielsen, will begin performances on October 14 and open October 20. No casting has been announced.

The season in the RSC’s Swan Theatre will begin April 14 with Cardenio, directed by Gregory Doran and starring Olly Rix in the title role. The show will officially open April 17. Phillip Massinger’s The City Madam will follow, directed by Dominic Hill and starring Christopher Godwin. It will begin on May 5 and open May 11. Next up will be the David Greig’s Dunsinane, presented by the National Theatre of Scotland. Roxana Silbert will direct the play, which begins June 15 and opens June 16. Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming will bow next, directed by David Farr and beginning performances on July 28, ahead of an August 3 opening. Rounding out the season will be The Taming of the Shrew, presented as part of RSC’s Young People Shakespeare series. Tim Crouch, who edited the work for a young audience, will also direct the piece, which will open on September 24.