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Sir Kenneth Branagh is poised to make a highly anticipated return to the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) after over three decades, in what the RSC’s artistic directors are heralding as a “once-in-a-generation theatrical event.”
Marking several significant milestones for British theater luminaries, the Academy Award-winning actor and director is set to portray Prospero in The Tempest at Stratford-upon-Avon’s Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Spring 2026. This production will also mark Sir Richard Eyre’s directorial debut with the RSC.
“When they asked me to come back to the company, my response was a swift and enthusiastic yes,” Sir Kenneth told the BBC, underscoring his eagerness to rejoin the RSC.
The esteemed actor further noted that he has “been aware of a new creative energy spilling out of those theatres” under the leadership of Tamara Harvey and her co-artistic director, Daniel Evans.
In addition to The Tempest, Sir Kenneth will also star in Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, alongside Academy Award-winner Helen Hunt, under the direction of RSC co-Artistic Director Tamara Harvey.
Sir Kenneth’s last RSC appearance was over three decades ago in 1994, when he played Hamlet.
He recounted that his initial encounter with the Stratford-upon-Avon theaters occurred as an audience member in 1978 at the age of 17.
“I hitchhiked to get there, and had a tent, a dream, and three cans of Heinz sausages and beans,” he shared.
The first play he witnessed was The Tempest, with Michael Hordern portraying Prospero.
He watched the production “for 90p from the back of the Gods.”
“I was enthused and excited by the whole experience and I feel the same way nearly 50 years later as I return, only this time I don’t think I’ll hitchhike, and I may avoid the sausages and beans,” he quipped.
Since that memorable trip, Sir Kenneth has achieved remarkable theatrical and cinematic success.
As one of Britain’s most celebrated actors and directors, his extensive screen credits include titles such as Peter’s Friends, Shackleton, Wallender, and Hercule Poirot.
He is also well-known to younger audiences for his role as Professor Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
In 2022, Sir Kenneth received an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for his semi-autobiographical film, Belfast, which also earned a BAFTA for Outstanding British Film.
He is also slated to appear in the upcoming film The Devil Wears Prada 2, opposite Meryl Streep.
For many years, Sir Kenneth has been internationally recognized for his Shakespearean film adaptations.
He directed and starred in Henry V at the age of 28, earning a Best Director Oscar nomination at 29, despite having no prior experience directing movies.
His powerful depiction of the muddy Agincourt battlefield and the casualties of war remains memorable.
His subsequent project, Much Ado About Nothing, a masterpiece set in an Italian villa, featured his then-partner Emma Thompson as Beatrice opposite his Benedick.
Othello, Hamlet, and other adaptations followed, marking a golden age of Shakespeare on film.
With 35 Shakespeare productions under his belt, the question arises as to how Sir Kenneth will reimagine Shakespeare for a generation increasingly reliant on technology.
He emphasized the importance of capturing the audience’s attention, stating, “We needn’t overthink the so-called battle with technology or be militant about making people ‘like’ Shakespeare.”
“The desire is to divert, not convert. That can be a lot of fun!” he added.
Given the physical demands of performing Shakespeare, Sir Kenneth began training for his role as Prospero in March.
He stated that he requires “at least a year of many types of exercise – mental and physical” to adequately prepare.
For Sir Richard, whose award-winning career includes leading the National Theatre throughout the 1990s, this production marks his first time directing Shakespeare for the RSC.
He told the BBC that The Tempest “resonates for me because it’s a play about freedom and power as well as colonialism and art.”
Sir Richard explained that Sir Kenneth was cast as Prospero due to his “brilliant actor, who brings extensive experience of Shakespeare and of creating theatre and film. He’ll bring great authority and gravitas to the part.”
Eyre also hopes his Tempest will ignite imaginations: “I hope there’ll be some magic about the production which should appeal to every generation.”
Amidst ongoing cuts in arts funding, Sir Kenneth advocates for state subsidies, emphasizing their value as an investment in the future.
“For the 90p ticket price with which government subsidy allowed me to make my first visit to Stratford nearly 50 years ago, they changed my life and helped steer me and many others into careers, projects and work that have ultimately brought hundreds of millions of pounds back into the economy.”
“Cultural power may be considered soft power, but I would call it a super-power – a particularly British super-power to be proud of,” he concluded.
Sir Richard echoed this sentiment, stating, “I would like the Government to recognise that the arts are weapons of happiness and understanding and are as important to the health of the nation as weapons of war.”
The RSC’s 2026 season will also welcome Hunt and writer-performer Mark Gatiss, with Gatiss set to star in Brecht’s The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.
Harvey and Evans conveyed that Sir Kenneth’s return represents a “celebration of theatre-making on an epic scale.”
For Sir Kenneth, the enduring appeal of Stratford remains potent, and stepping onto its stage is “never less than thrilling… The legacy of all those who’ve gone before – actors and audiences – is an inspiration rather than a weight.”
More than three decades after his acclaimed Hamlet, Sir Kenneth’s return is poised to be one of the most anticipated cultural events of 2026.
The Tempest will run at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon from May 13 to June 20, with press night scheduled for May 26.
The Cherry Orchard is set to open at the Swan Theatre on July 10.
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The West Midlands and Merseyside will share a £13.5m government investment in the creative sector.
Sir Kenneth Branagh is one of the directors of the company filming in Ascot, Berkshire.
Save Novello Picture House says it is confident it can raise £300,000 before the October deadline.
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