The full cast has been revealed for the world premiere of Game of Thrones: The Mad King at the RSC’s Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon — and it is every bit as epic as the source material demands.
A sweeping new stage epic adapted by Duncan Macmillan from George R. R. Martin’s legendary world of Westeros and directed by Dominic Cooke, Game of Thrones: The Mad King spans the final years before the events of the novels.
The Cast
Michael Shaeffer, one of the most experienced and versatile actors in British theatre and television, starring in Chernobyl, Bodyguard and The Salisbury Poisonings on TV and Girl from the North Country, Grenfell and How to Hold Your Breath on stage, leads the company as King Aerys II Targaryen, the Mad King himself. It also stars Noah Ritter (The Running Man) as the legendary Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and Callum Woodhouse (The Durrells, All Creatures Great and Small) as Lord Robert Baratheon.
They are joined by Michael Abubakar as Eddard Stark, Harmony Rose-Bremner as Lyanna Stark, Mariah Gale as Queen Rhaella Targaryen and Daisy Franks as Cersei Lannister, in a company of over thirty actors bringing the world of Westeros to the stage for the very first time.
Bringing audiences face to face with familiar characters from the houses Targaryen, Stark, Lannister, Baratheon and Martell, it reveals the events that set the stage for the world’s most acclaimed fantasy series. The production opens officially on Saturday 8 August 2026.
The full principal cast is as follows:
- Michael Shaeffer as King Aerys II Targaryen
- Noah Ritter as Prince Rhaegar Targaryen
- Callum Woodhouse (The Durrells) as Lord Robert Baratheon
- Michael Abubakar (Ganymede, Shakespeare’s Globe) as Eddard Stark
- Harmony Rose-Bremner (The Inheritance, Garrick Theatre) as Lyanna Stark
- Mariah Gale (RSC Associate Artist) as Queen Rhaella Targaryen / Lady Shella Whent
- Daisy Franks as Cersei Lannister
- Luke Brady (Operation Mincemeat) as Brandon Stark
- Maxim Ays as Ser Jaime Lannister
- Marty Breen as Catelyn Stark
- Hughie O’Donnell as Lord Varys
- Marcello Walton as Ser Jonothor Darry / Lord Tywin Lannister
- Alexander Newland as Lord Rickard Stark
- Edem-Ita Duke as Oberyn Martell
- Elizabeth Ayodele as Princess Elia Martell
- Tanisha Spring (Strictly Ballroom, Piccadilly Theatre) as Ashara Dayne
- Kel Matsena as Ser Arthur Dayne
- Daniel Hawksford as Ser Barristan Selmy
- Richard Hansell as Grand Maester Pycelle
- Miles Barrow as Benjen Stark
- Islam Bouakkaz as Howland Reed
- Huw Parmenter as Ser Oswell Whent
- Adrian Christopher as Prince Lewyn Martell
The story
Set against the dying days of Aerys II Targaryen’s reign, The Mad King plunges audiences into a Westeros on the brink. A long winter thaws at Harrenhal, where lovers meet and revellers celebrate on the eve of a great jousting tournament: but beneath the pageantry, the realm is fracturing.
Dissenters from the Mad King’s inner circle advance a treasonous plot, family bonds are tested to breaking point, and far away, the drums of war are already sounding. As ancient prophecies collide with the brutal mechanics of power, the question is not who is right, but whose story will survive to be told.
The creative team
Game of Thrones: The Mad King reunites two of British theatre’s most celebrated collaborators: director Dominic Cooke, whose recent credits include The Normal Heart and Follies, as well as the upcoming Cloud9 at The National, and adapter Duncan Macmillan, whose previous work includes People, Places and Things and Every Brilliant Thing.
Together they bring formidable theatrical intelligence to Martin’s source material, supported by a world-class creative team.
The key creative team includes:
- Writer (Adaptation): Duncan Macmillan (People, Places and Things; Every Brilliant Thing)
- Director: Dominic Cooke (The Normal Heart; Follies; Hello, Dolly!)
- Puppetry and Movement: Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell, Lume
- Set Designer: Chloe Lamford
- Costume Designer: Georgia McGuinness
- Lighting Designer: Jon Clark
- Composer: Will Stuart
- Sound Designer: Tom Gibbons
- Fight Director: Bethan Clark
- Intimacy Director: Ingrid Mackinnon
- Voice and Text: Jeannette Nelson
- Dialect: Hazel Holder
- Casting Director: Amy Ball CDG
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