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  • Running time 2 hours 10 minutes (including 1 interval)
  • Age guidelines 14+

The Shawshank Redemption - Tour Dates

Performance information is for guidance only. Check booking calendar for details.

Get tickets to The Shawshank Redemption

Hope is a dangerous thing – but it may be the only thing that sets you free.

Stephen King’s gripping prison drama The Shawshank Redemption returns to UK theatres in 2025 in a powerful new stage production.

Following a sold-out national tour and based on King’s 1982 novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption – famously adapted into the Oscar-nominated film – this acclaimed play explores friendship, injustice and the resilience of hope within the walls of a maximum-security prison.

Leading the cast is Strictly Come Dancing winner Joe McFadden (Holby City, Heartbeat) as the wrongly convicted Andy Dufresne, Ben Onwukwe (London’s Burning) as Red, and Bill Ward (Coronation Street, Emmerdale) as the brutal Warden Stammas.

The Shawshank Redemption starring Joe McFadden, Bill Ward, Ben Onwukwe

About The Show

When Andy Dufresne is sentenced to life imprisonment for a crime he didn’t commit, he’s sent to the notorious Shawshank prison. There, under the oppressive rule of Warden Stammas, he forms an unlikely friendship with long-term inmate Red. As the years pass, Andy refuses to let the system break him — quietly planning a daring path to freedom.

Adapted by Owen O’Neill and Dave Johns, this electrifying production stays true to King’s original story and the emotional heart of the much-loved 1994 film starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman.

With themes of perseverance, loyalty and redemption, The Shawshank Redemption has become a modern classic on stage and screen.

2025 -2026 UK Tour

This all-new UK tour opens at Theatre Royal Windsor on 3 September 2025, before heading to major venues across the country.

Don’t miss your chance to see this timeless tale of survival and humanity – live on stage. Book tickets now for The Shawshank Redemption UK tour – a gripping night of theatre you’ll never forget.

Despite protests of his innocence, Andy Dufresne is handed a double life sentence for the brutal murders of his wife and her lover. Incarcerated in the notorious Shawshank facility, he quickly learns that no one can survive alone. 

Andy strikes up an unlikely friendship with the prison fixer Red, and things start to take a slight turn for the better. However, when Warden Stammas decides to bully Andy into subservience and exploit his talents for accountancy, a desperate plan is quietly hatched… 

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Videos & Photos

Stars and Creatives

Ben Onwukwe in The Shawshank Redemption
Ben Onwukwe in The Shawshank Redemption
Bill Ward in The Shawshank Redemption
Bill Ward in The Shawshank Redemption
Joe McFadden in The Shawshank Redemption
Joe McFadden in The Shawshank Redemption

Who is in the cast of The Shawshank Redemption?

Starring Joe McFadden as Andy Dufresne, Ben Onwukwe as Ellis “Red” Redding and Bill Ward as prison warden Stammas.

Completing the cast are: Graham Elwell (Bryan Hadley), Ashley D Gayle (Rooster), Jeffrey Harmer(Entwistle), Kyle Harrison-Pope (Tommy Williams), Kenneth Jay (Brooksie), Sean Kingsley (Bogs Diamond), Fernando Mariano (Rico), Aein Nasseri (Nelson) and Owen Oldroyd (Dawkins).

Who are the creative team of The Shawshank Redemption?

  • Based on the short novel by Stephen King
  • Adapted by Owen O’Neill and Dave Johns
  • Directed by David Esbjornson
  • Associate Director Tim Welton
  • Design Gary McCann
  • Lighting Design Chris Davey
  • Sound Design Andy Graham

Important Notes

Content warnings: Contains haze, strong language, scenes of a sexual nature and male nudity

Venue Information

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Critics' reviews of The Shawshank Redemption

“Electrifying – it truly is a must see show” – The Observer

★★★★ – The Herald

★★★★ – The Scotsman

★★★★ – The Chronicle

Frequently Asked Questions

The running time of The Shawshank Redemption is 2 hours 10 minutes (including 1 interval)
The age recommendations for The Shawshank Redemption are: 14+
Yes, The Shawshank Redemption has matinee performances on the following days:
No, sorry, The Shawshank Redemption has now completed its run and is no longer on sale.

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