The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has unveiled details of its much-anticipated 2025-2026 season, including a spectacular new stage adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The BFG, bringing the beloved children’s classic to life in a big, friendly production.
A co-production between the Royal Shakespeare Company, Chichester Festival Theatre, and the Roald Dahl Story Company, this enchanting new version is adapted by Tom Wells (The Kitchen Sink, Jumpers for Goalposts) and directed by RSC Co-Artistic Director Daniel Evans.
Running at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, from 25 November 2025 to 31 January 2026, The BFG promises to be a fun, festive treat for audiences of all ages. Following its Stratford-upon-Avon run, the production will transfer to Chichester Festival Theatre from 16 March – 12 April 2026, with further booking details to be announced in September 2025.
Following in the Footsteps of Matilda The Musical
The RSC has a proven track record of bringing Roald Dahl’s iconic stories to the stage. Their award-winning musical adaptation of Matilda The Musical premiered at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, before transferring to London’s West End, where it continues to captivate audiences at the Cambridge Theatre. With its inventive staging, unforgettable music, and a heartwarming yet rebellious spirit, Matilda The Musical has become a global phenomenon, winning multiple Olivier and Tony Awards.
Now, the RSC turns its expertise to The BFG, promising another theatrical spectacle filled with Dahl’s signature wit, wonder, and imagination.
A Magical Tale Brought to Life
The BFG follows Sophie’s extraordinary adventure after she is whisked away to Giant Country, where she befriends the kind-hearted BFG. Together, they hatch a daring plan — enlisting the help of the Queen of England—to stop the fearsome giants once and for all.
The creative team for The BFG includes Puppetry Designer and Director Toby Olié, Set Designer Vicki Mortimer, and Composer Oleta Haffner, this production will transport audiences into the world of Sophie, the Big Friendly Giant, and the terrifying, child-guzzling giants who threaten the land.
Roald Dahl – A Beloved and Controversial Author
Roald Dahl’s stories have enchanted generations, from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to The BFG, brimming with mischief, magic, and a rebellious spirit that continues to captivate readers of all ages. However, his legacy is also shadowed by controversy, with his complex life now the subject of Giant, a new West End play starring John Lithgow, which dramatises a pivotal moment in his later years, exploring the contradictions of the man behind the beloved tales.
A Bold New Season from the RSC
Co-Artistic Directors Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey announced The BFG as part of the RSC’s new 2025-2026 season, a programme that blends exciting new works, bold re-imaginings, and classic Shakespearean drama.
The season includes previously announced productions of Hamlet, Hail to the Thief, and 4.48 Psychosis, as well as today’s newly announced titles, including a new version of W. Somerset Maugham’s The Constant Wife by Olivier Award-winning playwright Laura Wade, starring Rose Leslie; I, Peaseblossom, Tim Crouch’s magical adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Titus Andronicus starring Olivier, Tony, and BAFTA Award winner Simon Russell Beale, directed by Max Webster; Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Michael Longhurst; The Winter’s Tale, directed by Yaël Farber; The Two Gentlemen of Verona directed by Joanna Bowman; the European premiere of Fat Ham, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama; and Measure for Measure directed by Emily Burns.
RSC in the West End
There’s no current news about a West End run for The BFG.
Alongside Matilda The Musical in the West End, other RSC productions now playing include new political thriller Kyoto at @Sohoplace Theatre until 3 May 2025. Coming up is the West End transfer of the RSC’s acclaimed production of My Neighbour Tototo, playing the Gillian Lynne Theatre from 8 March 2025.
Get tickets to Giant at the Harold Pinter Theatre, London
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