The RSC have announced details of several new additions to the line-up for the 2026-27 season. Leading the new productions is a new production of Othello, starring three-time Olivier Award-winner Sharon D. Clarke.
Co-Artistic Directors Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey announced further details of the productions today alongside several new artistic appointments within the organisation.
They said: “We want to ensure that as many people as possible feel welcome at the RSC through the stories we choose to tell and the artists who tell them, whether delivering high-quality arts experiences to first-time theatre theatregoers in Stratford, re-examining 400-year-old texts through an urgent new lens, touring world-class Shakespeare productions to communities across England, or welcoming our 13 millionth audience member to Matilda The Musical worldwide in the show’s 15th birthday year.
This announcement brings together three very different plays, each of which explore the theme of transformation and how the stories we choose to tell ourselves can help shape the way we see the world and help us navigate our place within it.”
New 2026-27 season highlights include:
- Sharon D Clarke is set to play Othello in a new staging of Shakespeare’s tragedy by Monique Touko.
- Rufus Norris directs the world premiere of Brock’s Mill by RSC writer-in-residence Stewart Pringle
- A new co-production with Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre sees David litchfield’s bestselling book The Bear and the Piano come to the stage.
Sharon D Clarke to star as Othello
The three-time Olivier Award winning actress is set to make her RSC debut in 2027 as she takes up the titular role of Othello in Shakespeare’s tragedy.
This reimagining, directed by Monique Touko (Marie and Rosetta, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding) sets Othello in a climate threatened future where a black lesbian holds a seat of power. This movement and music-infused production will look at Shakespeare’s 400-year-old story through the lens of misogynoir, as an unsanctioned marriage perilously crosses boundaries of race, sex and status, allowing jealousy, suspicion and malign intent to close in.
The RSC in the West End
It was previously announced that the RSC’s production of Hamlet Hail to the Thief will have a limited run at the Barbican from October 2026, following in the footsteps of previous RSC transfers including Cyrano de Bergerac and The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.
Cyrano de Bergerac just opened in the West End to rave reviews after a critically acclaimed run at the RSC’s Stratford venue. Running until 18 July, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind also enjoyed a run in Stratford before transfering to @sohoplace in London.
Also in the West End are Matilda the Musical and My Neighbour Totoro, both produced by the RSC. Matilda the Musical will celebrate 15 years in the West End this November and has now been seen by over 13 million people in over 100 cities worldwide
My Neighbour Totoro broke box office records when it premiered at the Barbican in 2022. Following the sold-out run, the production returned to the Barbican the following year before moving into the Gillian Lynne Theatre in March 2025. Following numerous extensions, the production will close in January 2027
Related News
Last Minute Theatre in London: 12 Must-See Shows to Book Right Now
Full cast announced for Jonathan Groff-led, all male company of As You Like It at the RSC
Sharon D Clarke postpones RSC’s Othello to undergo cancer treatment
Game of Thrones: The Mad King reviews: an epic spectacle that captivates fans and newbies alike
Latest News
Broadway legend Patti LuPone returns to the London Coliseum for Valentine’s Day 2027
Helen of Troy never got to tell her side. Watch the trailer for the play that does
After a sell-out world tour, The Choir of Man returns to the West End this Christmas
