All's Well That Ends Well

Guidance All Ages • 2h 7m

After engineering her betrothal, Helena will do anything to bring her idealised version of romance to life with the wealthy Bertram. But what happens when the reality doesn’t match up to the fantasy? Directed by Blanche McIntyre, this contemporary production of Shakespeare’s enduring dark comedy - exploring themes of romantic fantasy, toxic masculinity and consent – ran in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon in 2022.

Antony and Cleopatra

Guidance 12+ • 3h 4m

One of his longest plays, Shakespeare’s interpretation of the Antony and Cleopatra story is brought to vivid life in this period-dress production from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Captured live in Stratford-upon-Avon, this adaptation won critical acclaim for the two actors in the eponymous roles, and saw the battle at sea played out using toy ships. Production photography by Helen Maybanks

As You Like It

All Ages • 2h 39m

Shakespeare’s romantic comedy gets a modern-day makeover with music, cross-dressing and physical comedy in this energetic production from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Captured live in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2019, Kimberley Sykes’ production invites audience participation as the ensemble brings the Forest of Arden to life. Production photography by Topher McGrillis

Coriolanus

2h 44m

Thought to be his final tragedy, Shakespeare’s tale of political manoeuvring and maternal love is brought to life in this modernised production from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Captured live in Stratford-upon-Avon, Angus Jackson’s blood-soaked adaptation questions where authority should lie, while the various power players engage in hand-to-hand combat across the stage. Production photography by Helen Maybanks

Cymbeline

3h 8m

One of his least performed plays, Shakespeare’s tale of romance and reconciliation is brought to life in this dystopian production from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Captured live in Stratford-upon-Avon, this adaptation reimagined Cymbeline as a queen rather than a king, making Gillian Bevan the first woman to play the title role at the RSC.

Hamlet

3h 32s

Considered to be one of the greatest tragedies of all time, Shakespeare’s tale of murder and revenge is brought to life in this critically acclaimed and visually striking production from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Captured live in Stratford-upon-Avon, Simon Godwin's fresh retelling, set in an unnamed African state, sees Paapa Essiedu shine in the title role, becoming the first Black actor to play Hamlet for the RSC.

Henry IV, Part 1

2h 48m

The second part of his history tetralogy, Shakespeare’s tale of power and politics is brought to life in this martial production from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Captured live in Stratford-upon-Avon, the production transferred to the Barbican, London, as part of ‘King and Country: Shakespeare's Great Cycle of Kings’, to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death."

Henry IV, Part 2

2h 48m

The third part of his history tetralogy, Shakespeare’s tale of power and politics is brought to life in this martial production from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Captured live in Stratford-upon-Avon, the production transferred to the Barbican, London, as part of ‘King and Country: Shakespeare's Great Cycle of Kings’, to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death.

Henry V

All Ages • 2h 42m

The final part of his history tetralogy, Shakespeare’s tale of kingship and war is brought to life in this all-conquering production from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Captured live in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2015 - 600 years since the battle of Agincourt - this adaptation firmly established Henry V as the culmination of one epic story.

Henry VI: Part One Open Rehearsal Project

All Ages • 1h 57m

For the first time in its history, the RSC invites audiences into its rehearsal room for a unique insight into the making of a play. Directed by Gregory Doran and Owen Horsley, this production of Henry VI: Part One was filmed as a run-through performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first play in Shakespeare's trilogy sees rivals assert their claim to the throne at home and from abroad, laying the tensions for the War of the Roses.

Henry VI: Rebellion

All Ages • 2h 26m

The Royal Shakespeare Company's trilogy continues with Henry VI: Rebellion, the second installment of Henry VI plays. When ordinary men and women start to speak out, Henry's already tenuous hold on the English throne wavers. The people rise in protest, but who is behind the rebellion?

Henry VI: Wars of the Roses

Guidance All Ages • 2h 41m

In the Royal Shakespeare Company's adaptation of Henry VI Part III (Henry 6th Part 3), the turbulent court rivalries for the English crown come to a climax as the families of Lancaster and York meet on the battlefield. Director Owen Horsley concludes his thrilling trilogy.

Julius Caesar

2h 43m

One of his three Roman plays based on historical fact, Shakespeare’s tale of power and betrayal is brought to vivid life in this period-dress production from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Captured live in Stratford-upon-Avon, this adaptation evokes imperialism at its most grandiose, creating a vivid spectacle from the conspirators’ extreme act of violence. Production photography by Helen Maybanks

King John

Guidance 12+ • 2h 32m

Shakespeare’s rarely performed play about the feud between King John of England and the King of France is given new life in this modern adaptation from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Captured live in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2019, Eleanor Rhode's captivating production sees Rosie Sheehy cast in the title role. Production photography by Steve Tanner

King Lear

3h 1m

Considered one of his finest tragedies, Shakespeare’s tale of family, ageing and madness is brought to life in this critically acclaimed production from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Captured live in Stratford-upon-Avon, this adaptation emphasised the pagan setting, complete with ritual chanting, and cast 24 local Midlands men in the roles of Lear’s followers.

Love's Labour's Lost

All Ages • 2h 20m

One of his earliest comedies, Shakespeare’s tale of love and courtship is brought to life in this Edwardian reimagining from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Captured live in Stratford-upon-Avon, this adaptation was paired with Love’s Labour’s Won (Much Ado About Nothing), with both productions featuring the same company of actors and set."

Love's Labour's Won

All Ages • 2h 27m

With his mysterious title applied here to Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare’s tale of relationships beginning and ending is brought to life in this Edwardian reimagining from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Captured live in Stratford-upon-Avon, this adaptation was paired with Love’s Labour’s Lost, with both productions featuring the same company of actors and set.

Macbeth

Guidance 12+ • 2h 4m

Shakespeare’s tragic tale of murder, manipulation and witchcraft is brought to life in this contemporary production which marks both Christopher Eccleston’s RSC debut and the return of Niamh Cusack to the Company. Captured live in Stratford-upon-Avon, Polly Findlay’s dark reimagining employs elements of horror to encapsulate Macbeth’s psychological trauma through sound, lighting and illusions. Production photography by Richard Davenport.

Measure for Measure

Guidance 14+ • 2h 27m

Shakespeare’s tale of power and punishment is relocated to 1900s Vienna where a young nun is compromised by a corrupt official in this provocative production from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Captured live in Stratford-upon-avon in 2019, RSC Artistic Director Gregory Doran explores the parallels between 20th-century Vienna and the modern day #MeToo movement. Production photography by Helen Maybanks

Othello

All Ages • 2h 59m

One of his most heartbreaking tragedies, Shakespeare’s tale of love, jealousy and deceit is brought to life in this ground-breaking production from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Captured live in Stratford-upon-Avon, Iqbal Khan’s adaptation was the first at the RSC to cast a Black actor, Lucian Msamati, in the role of Iago.

Richard III

14+ • 2h 54m

In the aftermath of the War of the Roses, a young Richard of Gloucester begins his manipulative climb to power in this savagely comic production from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Directed by Gregory Doran and starring Arthur Hughes in the title role, this thrilling climax to Shakespeare’s first great history cycle explores the dangers of tyranny. This production was captured in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2022.

Romeo and Juliet

All Ages • 2h 27m

Shakespeare’s most tragic love story is revived in this modern interpretation by the Royal Shakespeare Company where two star-crossed lovers risk everything to be together. Captured live in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Erica Whyman’s lively reimagining focuses on the pains of adolescence and stars Charlotte Josephine as the bold Mercutio. Production photos by Topher McGillis

The Comedy of Errors

All Ages • 1h 26m

One of Shakespeare’s early comedies, The Comedy of Errors is a fast-paced farce exploring mistaken identities and relations lost and found. This production was captured by Digital Theatre live at the Clapham Community Project. It was devised specifically for schools and families by the Royal Shakespeare Company in association with critically acclaimed theatre company, Told by an Idiot. Directed by Paul Hunter, it features a cast made up from the RSC’s ensemble and uses a pared down script, props, live music and physical comedy to convey the story.

The Comedy of Errors

7+ • 2h 19m

Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors is a fairytale farce of a separated family, mistaken identities and everyday miracles. A father ends up in the wrong country on the wrong day; a lonely son, while searching for his brother, loses himself; and across town, a wife starts to realise her husband is not the man she thought he was. This RSC production is directed by comedy master Phillip Breen.

The Merchant of Venice

All Ages • 2h 8m

One of his most complex and problematic plays, Shakespeare’s tale of money, prejudice and justice is brought to life in this modernised production from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Captured live in Stratford-upon-Avon, Polly Findlay’s visually compelling adaptation is set in reflective gold and casts Palestinian actor Makram J. Khoury as Jewish moneylender Shylock.

The Taming of the Shrew

Guidance 12+ • 2h 38m

One of Shakespeare's most problematic plays is flipped on its head in this gender-swapping adaptation from the Royal Shakespeare Company, where a matriarchal society dominates 1590's Britain. Captured live in Stratford-upon-avon in 2019, Justin Audibert’s main house debut delivers a statement production on female empowerment, underscored by Ruth Chan's searing "rock renaissance" music. Production photography by Ikin Yum

The Tempest

All Ages • 2h 24m

“My library was dukedom large enough.” Thought to be one of his final plays, Shakespeare’s tale of family, magic and revenge is brought to life in this visually striking production from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Captured live in Stratford-upon-Avon, this adaptation was created in collaboration with Intel and in association with The Imaginarium Studios, and featured the very first live motion capture performance in a major classical stage production. Production photography by Topher McGrillis

The Two Gentlemen of Verona

All Ages • 2h 21m

One of his earliest plays, Shakespeare’s tale of love, friendship and rivalry is brought to life in this modern-dress production from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Captured live in Stratford-upon-Avon, this adaptation marked the first time in 45 years that The Two Gentlemen of Verona had been performed in a full production on the Royal Shakespeare Theatre stage.

The Winter's Tale

Guidance All Ages • 2h 49m

King Leontes rips his family apart with his jealousy, but grief opens his heart. Will he find the child he abandoned before it is too late? Set across a 16-year span from the 1953 coronation to the moon landings, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2021 production imagines a world where the ghosts of fascist Europe collide with horrors reminiscent of The Handmaid’s Tale, before washing up on a joyful seashore. With lead performances from Joseph Kloska, Amanda Hadingue, Ben Caplan and Andrew French, Shakespeare's romantic comedy contains his most famous and challenging stage direction: 'Exit, pursued by a bear'. The Winter’s Tale was directed by Deputy Artistic Director Erica Whyman, and reimagined for the screen and broadcast on BBC Four. Production Photo by Topher McGrillis © RSC

Timon of Athens

Guidance 14+ • 2h 7m

Shakespeare’s tale of wealth and greed is reimagined in this Royal Shakespeare Company production starring the Olivier Award-winning Kathryn Hunter as Timon, whose fortune runs dry after living a life of luxury. Captured live in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2018, Simon Godwin’s dark satire charts Timon’s descent from opulence to poverty, magnified by Soutra Gilmour’s lavish set and costume design. Production photography by Simon Annand

Titus Andronicus

All Ages • 2h 51m

Thought to be his first tragedy, Shakespeare’s tale of family, betrayal and revenge is brought to bloody life in this modern-dress production from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Captured live in Stratford-upon-Avon, Blanche McIntyre’s striking adaptation is a study into the nature of grief and violence, as street fights and lootings mark Rome’s desperate descent into anarchy. Production photography by Helen Maybanks

Troilus and Cressida

All Ages • 2h 53m

Shakespeare’s tale of the tragic love between Troilus and Cressida and the corruption of the Trojan War is reimagined by the Royal Shakespeare Company in this post-apocalyptic production. Captured live in Stratford-upon-Avon, Gregory Doran’s futuristic interpretation of a world resounding with the rhythm of battle is brought to life by virtuoso percussionist Evelyn Glennie. Production photos by Helen Maybanks

Twelfth Night

All Ages • 2h 21m

One of his most beloved comedies, Shakespeare’s tale of love, loss and disguise is brought to life in this Victorian reimagining from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Captured live in Stratford-upon-Avon, Christopher Luscombe’s visually striking production explores the play’s ambiguities while vividly evoking the opulence and decadence of 1890s London. Production photography by Manuel Harlan