Casting is announced for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s forthcoming productions of Henry VI: Rebellion and Wars of the Roses running in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon between Friday 1 April and Saturday 4 June 2022.

This epic journey through The Wars of the Roses tells the vivid and enthralling story of the brutal struggle for the English crown.

As part of the RSC’s commitment to be a theatre company for everyone, Henry VI: Rebellion will include a cast of 120 people, including professional actors, adults from community groups from six English towns and cities, and members of the RSC’s young acting company.

Following their previous collaboration on the King & Country cycle of plays, and having most recently worked together to co-direct the Henry VI Part One: Open Rehearsal Project, directors Gregory Doran and Owen Horsley reunite to continue their journey through the final two parts of the Henry VI trilogy. Henry VI: Rebellion is directed by both Greg and Owen, and Wars of the Roses directed by Owen.

Henry VI: Rebellion, a fresh new take on Henry VI: Part Two, hurtles through one of the most turbulent periods in English history, asking the question: can the people ever really decide their own future?

The professional cast for Henry VI: Rebellion includes: Oliver Alvin-Wilson (York), Lucy Benjamin (Eleanor, Duchess of Gloucester), Richard Cant (Gloucester/Lord Saye), Daniel J Carver (Clifford/Horner), Angelina Chudi (Hume), Paola Dionisotti (Winchester/Humphrey), and more.

Inspired by Henry VI Part Three, director Owen Horsley will present the dramatic conclusion to Shakespeare’s three-part Henry VI saga, Wars of the Roses.

In this thrilling climax to The Wars of the Roses, the tussle for the English crown escalates to the battlefield and the families of Lancaster and York drench their brutal conflict in sweat and blood. As power is shunted back and forth, there is deceit, betrayal and murder at every turn. The scene is set for the final chapter as we get our first glimpse of the villainous Duke of Gloucester – soon to become Richard III.

The cast includes: Oliver Alvin-Wilson (York), Lucy Benjamin (2nd Keeper/ Tutor), Richard Cant (Lieutenant/ King Lewis), Daniel J Carver (Clifford), Angelina Chudi (Lady Bona), Paola Dionisotti (Exeter), Felixe Forde (Richmond) and Mariah Gale (Margaret).

For more information, visit: rsc.org.uk