Casting announced for RSC production of ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has announced casting for its forthcoming production of All’s Well That Ends Well, which runs between 16 August – 8 October 2022 in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.

The production of Shakespeare’s enduring dark comedy - exploring themes of romantic fantasy, toxic masculinity and consent - will be directed by Blanche McIntyre and will play in repertoire with Richard III, directed by Gregory Doran, with a number of the cast appearing in both productions.

The cast includes Rosie Sheehy as Helena (she will also appear as Anne in Richard III); Claire Benedict as The Countess who will also take on the role of The Duchess of York in Richard III; Benjamin Westerby as Bertram; Simon Coates and Jamie Wilkes return to the RSC to play Lafeu and Parolles respectively (in Richard III, Simon plays Stanley, and Jamie plays Buckingham); and Micah Balfour who re-joins the company playing Hastings in Richard III.

All’s Well That Ends Well is designed by Robert Innes Hopkins.

Blanche McIntyre said: “I am so excited to have the chance to direct Shakespeare’s most modern comedy at the RSC. All’s Well that Ends Well, as full of grief and nostalgia as romance and adventure, with its story of sexual politics, class prejudice and generation gaps, would always have felt contemporary. But the fantasy relationships and fake identities in the play make it a perfect match for our anxious, idealistic, lonely, social-media-addicted age.

“I’m thrilled to be working again with designer Robert Innes Hopkins for our second RSC collaboration. We can promise a fleet footed, inventive, contemporary, colourful production, with one foot in real life and one in the online world. I look forward very much to bringing it to audiences, and I hope they will have a thought provoking as well as entertaining evening.”

Blanche’s production of All’s Well That Ends Well, along with Gregory Doran’s Richard III fittingly mark the final productions, in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, of the Company’s ten-year pledge to produce all of Shakespeare’s collected plays for the stage.

Screen adaptations of both Richard III and All’s Well That Ends Well will be captured, completing a unique collection of Shakespeare on stage, produced by one Company across one decade.

The full cast is: Bruce Alexander (King of France), Laila Alj (First Soldier), Micah Balfour (Older Dumain), Oscar Batterham (Lord/Second Soldier), Claire Benedict (The Countess), Sophie Cartman (Rinaldo/Duke of Florence), Callum Coates (Gentleman), Simon Coates (Lafeu), Matthew Duckett (Lord/First Gentleman), Will Edgerton (Lavache), Jessica Layde (Mariana), Funlola Olufunwa (Widow), Olivia Onyehara (Diana), Ewan Orton (Lord/Escalus), Thom Petty (Second Gentleman), Joeravar Sangha (Lord), Eloise Secker (Younger Dumain), Rosie Sheehy (Helena), Jamie Wilkes (Parolles) and Benjamin Westerby (Bertram).

Joining Blanche and Robert on the creative team are: Richard Howell (Lighting), D.J. Walde (Music), Gregory Clarke (Sound), Douglas O’Connell (Video), and Asha Jennings-Grant (Movement and Intimacy).

For more information and to book tickets, please click here.