The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) will tour Hamlet in Spring 2026 to its regional partner theatres in towns and cities across England, with a stop at Norwich Theatre Royal between Tue 10 Mar – Sat 14 Mar 26. Hamlet will go on general sale on Fri 28 Mar 25.
Other stops on the tour include: Truro, Bradford, Nottingham, Blackpool, Newcastle upon Tyne, York and Canterbury.
Shakespeare’s epic family drama of deceit and murder is directed by multi award-winner Rupert Goold. The production will tour a year after opening in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon where it runs between 8 Feb – 29 Mar 25. Full casting for the UK 2026 tour is yet to be announced.
Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark. After the death of Hamlet’s father, his uncle, Claudius, marries his mother and takes the throne for himself. In one of the most famous scenes in Shakespeare, Hamlet’s father appears to the young prince as a ghost, telling his son that he was murdered by Claudius. Seeking vengeance, he wants Hamlet to kill Claudius, setting off a tragic chain of events.
Talking about the tour Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey, RSC Co-Artistic Directors said: “We are delighted that Rupert Goold’s production of Hamlet – perhaps Shakespeare’s most famous play – will be taking to the road in 2026. It promises to be a thrilling piece of theatre, and we can’t wait for audiences up and down the country to see it.
“Our long-term partnerships with regional theatres across England are a central part of our mission to redefine experiences of Shakespeare’s work with and for young people and adults. We are excited that audiences in town and cities across England will get to see this new production and have opportunities to deepen their connection to the play through participation work happening in and around each of the theatres.”
Stephen Crocker, Chief Executive & Creative Director, said: “Our audiences love to see RSC tours come to Norwich, and we are proud to bring world-class Shakespeare to the region for local people to enjoy.
“Our enduring partnership with the RSC and our regional partners has never been stronger, and this is a partnership in the true sense of the word, with the community at its heart. This is a beacon and role model for a co-created approach to touring, generating true and mutually beneficial impact that is welcomed by audiences, artists, young people and the local economy at all our theatres.”
Rupert Goold’s theatre credits include celebrated productions of Dear England (National Theatre), and Romeo and Juliet and The Merchant of Venice (RSC). In 2026 Rupert will take up the role of Artistic Director of The Old Vic after 13 years at the Almeida Theatre. He has received Olivier, Critics’ Circle and Evening Standard awards for Best Director twice and won a Peabody Award in 2011 for Macbeth. In 2017 he received a CBE in the New Year’s Honours for services to drama.
Joining Rupert on the creative team are: Sophie Drake (Revival Director), Es Devlin (Set Designer), Evie Gurney (Costume Designer), Jack Knowles (Lighting Designer), Adam Cork (Composer and Sound Designer), Hannes Langolf (Movement Director), Akhila Krishnan (Video Designer), Kev McCurdy (Fight Director); and Charlotte Sutton CDG (Casting Director).
The tour of Hamlet is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, which makes it possible for the RSC to expand its tour to work in partnership with more places across England.
The full on-sale dates for Hamlet are:
Mon 24 Mar – Ambassadors, Gold Friends and Corporate Members
Wed 26 Mar – Best Friends and Friends
Fri 28 Mar – General public
To book or to find out more, visit norwichtheatre.org or call the Box Office at 01603 630 000.