Theatre News

Antic Disposition to stage Richard III at Leicester Cathedral

The production will be performed on the site where the king is now buried

Leicester Cathedral
Leicester Cathedral

Touring theatre company Antic Disposition has announced they will take their new production of Richard III to Leicester, where the king's remains were found under a car park in 2012.

The company will perform the play at cathedrals in Peterborough, Ely, Leicester, Gloucester, Bristol and Salisbury form 14 July before taking it to Temple Church, London from 22 August.

It will be the first production of Richard III to be performed in Leicester Cathedral since the monarch's remains were discovered, and subsequently were buried at the cathedral in 2015.

The show's directors Ben Horslen and John Risebero said: "By bringing our production to Leicester Cathedral, the king’s final resting place, we hope to entertain the audience with Shakespeare’s version of his story, while encouraging them to look beyond it at the more nuanced assessment of Richard that is now emerging."

Philippa Langley, who spearheaded the Looking for Richard campaign, told the Guardian that she is "shocked and deeply disappointed" that the cathedral would host the production.

Antic Disposition recently toured their production of Henry V to 12 cathedrals around the country.

Richard III will run at Peterborough Cathedral from 14 July before touring to Ely, Leicester, Gloucester, Bristol, Salisbury and London.