The Royal Shakespeare Company has announced that acclaimed stage and screen actor Ralph Davis will star in the title role of Hamlet, directed by Rupert Goold.
The production premiered in Stratford-upon-Avon in February and March this year, and sets out on a UK tour in 2026 visiting Norwich Theatre from 10 to 14 March 2026, and Truro, Bradford, Norwich, Nottingham, Blackpool, Newcastle, York and Canterbury.
Ralph Davis will play Hamlet in the production, with further casting to be announced.
Ralph Davis has earned widespread praise for his performances on both stage and screen. He received Ian Charleson Award nominations in both 2023 and 2025 for his classical stage work.
Ralph Davis’ theatre credits include Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing and Edmund in King Lear at Shakespeare’s Globe, and most recently Iago in Othello at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. His past RSC work includes Tamburlaine, Timon of Athens, Richard III, and King John, as well as appearances at the Almeida and Chichester Festival Theatre.
On screen, Davis is currently appearing in Film Club (BBC), which he also co-wrote with star Aimee Lou Wood. Other recent TV work includes House of the Dragon (HBO), Big Boys (Channel 4), and SAS: Rogue Heroes, Life After Life and Small Axe (BBC).
Hamlet is directed by Olivier Award-winning director Rupert Goold (Dear England, Patriots, Tammy Faye, Judy), outgoing artistic director of the Almeida Theatre, and incoming artistic director of The Old Vic.
Joining Rupert Goold in the creative team are Revival Director Sophie Drake; Set Designer Es Devlin; Costume Designer Evie Gurney; Lighting Designer Jack Knowles; Composer and Sound Designer Adam Cork; Movement Director Hannes Langolf; Video Designer Akhila Krishnan; and Casting Director Charlotte Sutton CDG.
Ralph Davis said in a statement: “I am feeling galvanised as hell! Hamlet changed my life as a little boy… The fact that I am going to get to go on that journey every evening whilst travelling round the country at the same time, is just completely thrilling.”
RSC Co-Artistic Directors Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey said: “We are delighted that Rupert Goold’s production of Hamlet will be taking to the road in 2026. It promises to be a thrilling piece of theatre… Our partnerships with regional theatres are central to our mission to redefine experiences of Shakespeare’s work with and for young people and adults.”
The Stratford-upon-Avon run featured a cast including Jared Harris (Chernobyl, The Crown, Mad Men) as Claudius; Luke Thallon (Cold War, Patriots) as Hamlet; Nancy Carroll (The Cabinet Minister, After The Dance) as Gertrude; Anton Lesser (Endeavour, Game of Thrones, Wolf Hall) as the Ghost and the Player King; Elliot Levey (Patriots, Giant, Cabaret) as Polonius; Kel Matsena (Dear England) as Horatio; Lewis Shepherd (Dear England) as Laertes; and Nia Towle (A View From The Bridge) as Ophelia.
RSC’s Hamlet – UK Tour 2026
Hall for Cornwall
Tuesday 24 February – Saturday 28 February 2026
Alhambra Theatre, Bradford
Tuesday 3 March – Saturday 7 March 2026
Norwich Theatre Royal
Tuesday 10 March – Saturday 14 March 2026
Nottingham Theatre Royal
Tuesday 17 March – Saturday 21 March 2026
Grand Theatre, Blackpool
Tuesday 24 March – Saturday 28 March 2026
Theatre Royal, Newcastle
Tuesday 31 March – Saturday 4 April 2026
York Theatre Royal
Tuesday 14 April – Saturday 18 April 2026
Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury
Tuesday 21 April – Saturday 25 April 2026
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