Casting has been revealed for the forthcoming Shakespeare’s Globe and Headlong production of Shakespeare’s Henry V at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.
Henry V will star Oliver Johnstone in the title role, which runs in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare’s Globe from 10 November 2022 to 4 February 2023.
Other cast include Joséphine Callies as Katherine/Boy, James Cooney as Thomas/Orleans/Gower, Georgia Frost as Nym/Michael Williams/Rambures, Jon Furlong as Bardolph/John Bates/Constable of France, Joshua Griffin as Bedford/Fluellen, Eleanor Henderson as Queen of France/Prince Louis/Ambassador 1/Le Fer, Geoffrey Lumb as King of France/Erpingham/Governor of Harfleur/Ambassador 2, Helena Lymbery as Henry IV/Exeter and Dharmesh Patel as Scroop/Pistol/Montjoy/Officer.
Oliver Johnstone’s previous credits include Antigone at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, and All My Sons at the Old Vic.
The creative team includes director Holly Race Roughan, who is also the creative director of Headlong, alongside Mona Camille as associate designer, Naeem Hayat as associate director, Azusa Ono as candle consultant and lighting designer, Max Pappenheim as composer and sound designer, Hattie Barsby as costume supervisor, Moi Tran as designer, Cordelia Lynn as dramaturg, Kate Waters as fight director, Glynn MacDonald as Globe associate for movement, Tess Dignan as head of voice, Malik Nashad Sharpe as movement director and Katie Heath as seasonal voice coach.
Holly Race Roughan said in a press statement that: “Shakespeare’s plays are packed with so many universal ideas, that they remain intriguingly relevant to contemporary society hundreds of years on. However, occasionally, one of his plays speaks to the present moment so directly, that it takes your breath away. Staging Henry V with the backdrop of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, Brexit, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, feels like one of these moments. This play that teems with the anxiety of royal succession, nationalism, war and imperialism, rips through the centuries and offers us a chance to reflect on our present moment in a powerfully heightened way. We were keen when we embarked on this production to not make a history play, but to treat the play as if it were a new piece of writing that is in conversation with our immediate experience. Our hope is that through this stripped back production, and lean edit, there is space for the audience to bring their imagination and question with us our present situation.”
Book HENRY V tickets at Shakespeare’s Globe
