Casting announced for RSC's Imperium plays

The Royal Shakespeare Company has announced casting for the upcoming productions of Imperium parts one and two.

Richard McCabe will take on the role of Cicero in Mike Poulton's adaptations alongside Siobhan Redmond as Terentia, Cicero's wife. Joseph Kloska will play Cicero's servant Tiro, who narrates their adventures.

The rest of the cast includes Nicholas Boulton (Celer/Cassius), Guy Burgess (Sura/Lepidus), Daniel Burke (Sosithius/Marcus), Jade Croot (Tullia), Peter De Jersey (Caesar/Calenus), Joe Dixon (Cataline/Antony), John Dougall (Lucullus/Brutus/Suca/Lepidus), Michael Grady Hall (Cato/Hirtius) and Oliver Johnstone (Rufus/Octavian).

Paul Kemp plays Quintus, Patrick Knowles is Cethegus/Dolabella, Hywel Morgan is Hybrida/Popilius, Lily Nichol is Pompeia/Flavia, Piero Niel Mee is Clodius/Agrippa, David Nicolle is Crassus/Pansa, Patrick Romer is Isauricus/ Piso, Jay Saighal is Numitorius/Decimus, Christopher Saul is Pompey/Murena/Trebonius/Isauricus Jnr, Eloise Secker is Clodia/Fulvia and Simon Thorp is Catulus/Casca.

Imperium Part I: Conspirator and Imperium Part II: Dictator will run at the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon from November to February. The two parts are each split into three plays, meaning the series is made up of six plays in total. The pieces are adaptations of Robert Harris' bestselling trilogy of Cicero novels.

Conspirator follows Cicero as he is elected consul by the Roman people and how Caitline, his rival, refuses to accept the results. In Dictator, Cicero has retired from politics and when Julius Caesar is assassinated, he tries to stop Mark Antony from creating a dictatorship.

Imperium Part I: Conspirator and Imperium Part II: Dictator run at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon from 16 November to 10 February.