Game of Thrones: The Mad King opens at the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon
A stage adaptation of George R. R. Martin's fantasy saga has opened at the Royal Shakespeare Company's Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. "Game of Thrones: The Mad King" celebrated its official opening in August 2026, running until Saturday 5 September WhatsOnStage.
The play is adapted by Duncan Macmillan — the playwright behind stage versions of "1984" and "People, Places and Things" — and directed by Dominic Cooke, a former artistic director of the Royal Court. It dramatises the story of Robert's Rebellion, the civil war that sits at the heart of Martin's fictional history, beginning with a fateful tourney within the ruins of Harrenhal WhatsOnStage.
Martin himself attended the official opening, alongside actress Sibel Kekilli, who played Shae in the HBO television series WhatsOnStage. The RSC, the subsidised company that is the permanent home of Shakespeare's work in Stratford, announced the production as part of its 2026/27 season RSC.
The cast blends RSC regulars and newer faces. Michael Abubakar plays Eddard Stark, Noah Ritter plays Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, and Daisy Franks takes on Cersei Lannister. Maxim Ays is Ser Jaime Lannister, Elizabeth Ayodele is Princess Elia Martell. Further down the cast list, Miles Barrow plays Benjen Stark, Luke Brady is Brandon Stark, Marty Breen is Catelyn Stark, Edem-Ita Duke is Oberyn Martell, and Alexander Newland plays Lord Rickard Stark WhatsOnStage.
WhatsOnStage's lead critic Sarah Crompton gave the production five stars, calling it a "soaring, surging spectacle" WhatsOnStage. A five-star review is a top mark on that outlet's scale, though it represents one critic's judgment of a single press performance, not a consensus verdict.
For the RSC, the production sits at the intersection of two audiences: the company's core theatregoers and the vast readership and viewership built by Martin's novels and the HBO adaptation that ran from 2011 to 2019. The RSC's own commercial arm is well-practised in this territory — "Matilda The Musical," which the company originated, has now reached 13 million audience members and continues in the West End and on UK and Ireland tour RSC.
"The Mad King" runs in a season that also includes "The Cherry Orchard" at the Swan Theatre, a co-production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with the Unicorn Theatre, and "As You Like It" later in the autumn RSC. The Stratford season is part of a wider RSC footprint: "My Neighbour Totoro" is booking in London until 10 January 2027, and "Hamlet Hail to the Thief" — a Radiohead-scored adaptation — runs in London from 31 October 2026 RSC.
For audiences, the draw is straightforward: a canonical prequel story, written for the stage by an acclaimed dramatist, staged by one of Britain's flagship theatre companies. The run is short. Six weeks, from late July to early September, in a 1,040-seat house on the banks of the Avon.
Tickets went on general sale in spring 2026 after a priority window opened on 14 April RSC. With the run closing on 5 September, the remaining booking window is narrow.
