Erica Whyman, Acting Artistic Director, has announced details of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s artistic programme for 2023.

In the year which marks the 400th anniversary of the publication of Shakespeare’s First Folio, the RSC will present a series of new artistic commissions which address the question of power, who holds it, who should, how does it change human beings, how might power shift and what could be transformed in our world as a result.

The season will feature ambitious re-imaginings of six Shakespeare titles led by a fresh slate of directors, four of whom will present work in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre for the first time.

The season includes five titles that would have been lost forever if the First Folio had not been published in 1623 and a new production of Hamlet, chosen by Next Generation Act, the RSC’s young company for talented young people from backgrounds under-represented in the arts.

The Tempest (Thursday 26 January – Saturday 4 March 2023), Julius Caesar (Saturday 18 March – Saturday 8 April), Cymbeline (Saturday 22 April - Saturday 27 May), As You Like It (dates to be announced) and Macbeth (dates to be announced) will run consecutively from January to October 2023 in a break from the Company’s usual repertory model.

Public booking for The Tempest, Julius Caesar and Cymbeline opens on Monday 17 October. Tickets for As You Like It and Macbeth will be available from early 2023. Tickets can be purchased via rsc.org.uk

The RSC will also mark the official opening of submissions for its nationwide playwriting project; 37 Plays which will create a living folio of bold new work which captures the stories of our nation now.