Hamnet to embark on first UK tour

Hamnet is set for a tour in 2027.

The Royal Shakespeare Company and Neal Street stage production based on Maggie O’Farrell’s best-selling novel previously enjoyed a West End run after premiering at the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Since then, the novel, which pulls back the curtain on the story of William Shakespeare, his wife and constant presence in his life, Agnes Hathaway, and their family as it suffers a great loss, has been adapted into an Oscar-winning film. The stage show is written by award-winning playwright Lolita Chakrabarti.

The production will open at Lowry, Salford on 25 September 2027, before visiting Newcastle (5 to 9 October), Truro (12 to 16 October), Norwich (19 to 23 October), Nottingham (26 to 30 October), Canterbury (2 to 6 November), Birmingham (9 to 13 November), Glasgow (16 to 20 November) and Bath (23 to 27 November) before a break.

In 2028, the tour will recommence in Belfast (18 to 22 January), York (1 to 5 February), Wimbledon (7 to 11 March) and Southampton (21 to 25 March), with further dates to be announced. A full touring schedule is below.

Hamnet is directed by former RSC deputy and acting artistic director Erica Whyman and features set design by Tom Piper.

Author O’Farrell said: “It’s wonderful to know that the RSC/Neal Street production of Hamnet is embarking on a tour of the UK. The production goes from strength to strength and it’s lovely that more people will get to see it.”

Chakrabati added that she was “very aware of the enormous responsibility of making these historical figures relatable and to make them live again,” saying, “William Shakespeare’s reach is beyond compare and everyone without exception has some knowledge of his life, his works, his stories and his language.”

She continued: “To try and humanise a man of such reach is a humbling thing. But in the end, this is a story about family – an 11-year-old boy and the people around him. It has been an absolute privilege to imagine Shakespeare himself, his wife, mother, father, sister, daughters and his only son.”

Whyman called the adaptation “deft, funny, and wonderfully accessible.” She calls the play “a love story with a remarkable woman and her family at its heart, but it is also a love letter to the theatre, to Shakespeare and the miraculous capacity of the human imagination.”

She concludes by sharing how pleased she is that the show will embark on a tour: “I have spent my career advocating for UK touring so I’m especially pleased to be working with Fiery Angel and Neal Street so that we can share this production with so many new audiences all over the country.”

Full casting and creative team details will be announced soon.