Cast joining Kenneth Branagh in The Tempest revealed

The Royal Shakespeare Company has announced full casting for its forthcoming production of The Tempest by William Shakespeare, directed by Richard Eyre.

The production will run at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre from 13 May to 20 June, with a press night scheduled for 26 May.

As previously announced, Kenneth Branagh will return to Stratford-upon-Avon for the first time in over 30 years to play Prospero, marking his first time taking on the role. He is joined by Ruby Stokes, who makes her RSC debut as Miranda, and Fred Woodley Evans as Ferdinand.

Also making her RSC debut, Amara Okereke will play Ariel, while Ashley Zhangazha takes on the role of Caliban in his first appearance with the company. The cast further includes David Bark-Jones as Alonso, Keir Charles as Trinculo, Guy Henry as Stephano, Paul Jesson as Gonzalo, Mark Meadows as Antonio, and Henry Pettigrew as Sebastian.

The full company comprises David Bark-Jones (Alonso), Darrell Brockis (Boatswain), Halle Brown (Spirit), Keir Charles (Trinculo), Philip Childs (Master), Stuart Edgar (Offstage Understudy), Amber Sylvia Edwards (Spirit), Tallulah Hamilton Barr (Offstage Understudy), Guy Henry (Stephano), Paul Jesson (Gonzalo), Mark Meadows (Antonio), Amara Okereke (Ariel), Razak Osman (Spirit), and Henry Pettigrew (Sebastian).

Eyre said: “This is the first time I have directed a Shakespeare play at Stratford, and I am thrilled to be bringing The Tempest to life for the RSC with a remarkable cast led by Kenneth Branagh and exceptional creative team including design by Bob Crowley.

“The play remains endlessly fascinating — I see it as Shakespeare’s autobiography, a meditation on art and freedom. Of course, there are themes of power, belonging, and colonisation that have long invited new readings and responses. The Tempest is a story shaped by encounters between cultures and systems of power, a story of revenge and magic, and I am thrilled to be working with such an incredible company to tell this story.”

The creative team includes set designer Bob Crowley, costume designer Fotini Dimou, lighting designer Hugh Vanstone, composers Akintayo Akinbode and Stephen Warbeck, sound designer Nicola T Chang, video designer Akhila Krishnan, movement and intimacy director Annie-Lunnette Deakin-Foster, and casting director Charlotte Sutton.