The Royal Shakespeare Company has today released further details of its upcoming summer 2023 programme which features four vivid and ambitious new play commissions, running in the Swan Theatre from July.

Two world stage premieres, a new co-commission with Watford Palace Theatre and HOME Manchester, and a timely revival of a 21st century classic are brought sharply into focus in 2023. These four plays offer fresh and, at times, radical new perspectives on well-known stories and the pervading political and cultural narratives that surround them.

The news follows the announcement of the re-opening of the Swan Theatre from 1 April 2023 with the world-premiere stage production of Hamnet, based on the award-winning novel by Maggie O’Farrell, adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti and directed by RSC Acting Artistic Director, Erica Whyman. Ticket availability for this production is now extremely limited.

The company also announced the full performance schedule for its upcoming productions of As You Like It directed by Omar Elerian and Macbeth directed by Wils Wilson which will run in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre from Saturday 17 June – Saturday 5 August and Saturday 19 August – Saturday 14 October consecutively.

They will be joined by the previously announced Hamlet, chosen by Next Generation Act, the RSC’s young company for talented young people from across the country from backgrounds under-represented in the arts. Hamlet, directed by Paul Ainsworth, will run in The Other Place from Friday 28 – Saturday 29 July 2023.

The Swan Theatre re-opening season continues with a new production of The Empress by Tanika Gupta, Artistic Associate of Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, directed by Pooja Ghai, Artistic Director of Tamasha, from Friday 7 July – Friday 15 September. The production will visit the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre before returning to conclude its run in Stratford-upon-Avon from Wednesday 1– Saturday 18 November.

Joining the previously announced As You Like It and Macbeth in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Live at the RSC returns from Wednesday 31 May – Sunday 4 June in association with Orchestra of the Swan and Underbelly.

The programme opens with a unique performance by Orchestra of the Swan who present Red Sky at Sunrise: Laurie Lee in Words & Music. Red Sky at Sunrise follows Lee's extraordinary journey through his much-loved trilogy, Cider with Rosie, As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning, and A Moment of War, from growing up in Gloucestershire, to fighting with the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. Laurie Lee is performed by Anton Lesser and Charlie Hamblett, with music from Orchestra of The Swan.

The festival also features appearances from British Comedy award-winning ventriloquist Nina Conti,award-winning comedian Mark Watson plus, direct from the West End, improvised comedy show; Austentatious inspired by the novels of Jane Austen.

The festival includes solo shows and mixed bill shows with performances from BBC New Comedy award-finalist Fern Brady, Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominee and star of Mock The Week, Live at The Apollo and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Jess Fostekew, Ivo Graham (the youngest ever winner of the prestigious So You Think You’re Funny award for new acts at the Edinburgh Fringe) and award-winning stand-up comedian Sarah Keyworth (Are You A Boy or A Girl, BBC Radio 4, Dark House, Amazon Prime) with further acts to be announced.

Tickets for the festival go on sale on Tuesday 11 April at 10am with further programming to be announced.

Tracy-Ann Oberman returns to the Royal Shakespeare Company from Thursday 21 September – Saturday 7 October in a new production of Shakespeare’s classic The Merchant of Venice directed and adapted by Brigid Larmour from an idea by Tracy Ann-Oberman and co-created by them both.

Completing the season is Charlie Josephine’s Cowbois running from Saturday 14 October – Saturday 18 November in the Swan Theatre.

Co-directed by Charlie Josephine and Sean Holmes (Associate Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe) with Design by Grace Smart, this rollicking queer cowboy show follows hot on the hoofs of the critically-acclaimed I, Joan, which premiered at Shakespeare’s Globe in April 2022 and was described by the Guardian as a ‘joyous few hours…performed with kinetic vigour’ and by the Evening Standard as ‘a thrilling piece of theatre… expansive, unifying and joyful’.

All Stratford-upon-Avon productions go on sale to the public on Monday 13 March, with priority booking available from Wednesday 1 March. Book here: rsc.org.uk