The full cast has been revealed for the RSC’s As You Like It, coming to the Stratford-upon-Avon venue later this year. The production will feature an all-male company led by Jonathan Groff and Fisayo Akinade.
Shakespeare’s gender bending comedy As You Like It is getting the Royal treatment at the RSC this autumn with a new production starring Broadway superstar Jonathan Groff and Heartstopper star Fisayo Akinade. The pair will star as best friends and cousins Rosalind and Celia, who escape into the forest after Rosalind’s father is banished.
Joining them s Elliot Barnes-Worrell as Orlando, Rosalind’s love interest. West End star Gary Wilmot will take on the dual roles of Duke Frederick and Duke Senior.
As You Like It is slated to run at the RSC from 26 September 2026 until 7 November 2026.
The cast and creative team behind As You Like It
The classic Shakespearean comedy follows the lady Rosalind as she is banished from the court of Duke Frederick – but not before she and young Orlando fall for each other. Seeking out her exiled father in the Forest of Arden with her devoted cousin, Celia, Rosalind disguises herself as a young man, Ganymede, to keep them safe. Orlando too escapes to the forest and soon runs into ‘Ganymede,’ who pledges to cure his lovesickness by having him woo… ‘him.’
The cast of the upcoming production will include:
- Jonathan Groff (Merrily We Roll Along) as Rosalind
- Fisayo Akinade (Heartstopper) as Celia
- Elliot Barnes-Worrell (Man and Superman) as Orlando
- Gary Wilmot (Cats) as Duke Frederick/Duke Senior
- Richard McCabe (The Audience) as Jaques
- Greg Haiste (Fawlty Towers) as Touchstone
The company is completed by Giles Cooper (Le Beau), Steffan Harri (Gwilym/Syr Osian), Jamal Franklin (Ensemble), Steffan Hughes (Ensemble/Vocal Captain), Rhys Parry Jones (Corin/Hymen/a Lord at Court/a Lord in Arden), Edward Judge (Charles the Wrestler/Silvius), Gareth Kennerley (First Lord in Arden/Ensemble), Luke McCall (Amiens), Tim Preston (Phoebe/a Lord at Court), Caleb Roberts (Oliver) and Gareth Snook (Adam/Audrey).
Led by director Daniel Evans, the creative team includes Set Designer Anisha Fields, Costume Designer Colin Richmond, Lighting Designer Ryan Day, Composer, Arranger and Music Supervisor Theo Jamieson, Sound Designer Paul Groothuis, Movement Director Michela Meazza, Fight Director Kev McCurdy, Dramaturg Dr Will Tosh and Casting Director Charlotte Sutton CDG.
Related News
Nina Raine’s sweeping new adaptation of Middlemarch arrives at the RSC: See brand-new images from the production
Thom Yorke’s Shakespeare mashup Hamlet Hail to the Thief announces full cast for London Premiere
As You Like It Reviews: critics agree it’s a delightful romp that stays in the shallow end
Sharon D Clarke postpones RSC’s Othello to undergo cancer treatment
Latest News
Everything you need to know about The Traitors: Acts of Betrayal in London
Nina Raine’s sweeping new adaptation of Middlemarch arrives at the RSC: See brand-new images from the production
What to expect from Pride the Musical ahead of highly anticipated transfer to the Bridge Theatre
