The lead cast of Game of Thrones: The Mad King sat down with the WhatsOnStage Podcast for a bonus episode released on 4 August 2026, as the Royal Shakespeare Company's stage adaptation continues previews in Stratford-upon-Avon.

The play, written by Duncan Macmillan and directed by Dominic Cooke, is in previews at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre ahead of its world premiere this summer. It is scheduled to run from Tuesday 28 July to Saturday 5 September 2026, according to the RSC website.

The bonus podcast episode features the ensemble bringing George R.R. Martin's fantasy world to the stage. Michael Shaeffer plays King Aerys II Targaryen — the "Mad King" himself — with Noah Ritter as his son and heir, Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. Mariah Gayle plays Queen Rhaella Targaryen.

The cast also includes Elizabeth Ayodele as Princess Elia Martell, Callum Woodhouse as Lord Robert Baratheon, Harmony Rose-Bremner as Lyanna Stark, Luke Brady as Brandon Stark, Michael Abubakar as Eddard Stark, Maxim Ays as Ser Jaime Lannister and Tanisha Spring as Ashara Dayne, as confirmed by the RSC press release and Westeros.org.

Regular hosts Sarah Crompton and Alex Wood guide the conversation. The WhatsOnStage Podcast, a weekly series covering British theatre news, is available on Apple Podcasts and Audible. The podcast had previously discussed the production's announcement in episode 141, published on 18 February 2026, the same day the BBC reported the RSC's plans.

What makes this pairing feel natural is the geography. The RSC is staging the play in Stratford-upon-Avon, the town where Shakespeare was born, and the company best known for staging the canon is now turning its hand to one of the biggest fantasy properties of the past decade. A bonus podcast episode landing during previews gives audiences a window into the process before the show is frozen — in theatre terms, the point at which a production stops changing and becomes the finished article.

The production photographs are by Seamus Ryan, copyrighted by the RSC.

For fans of the books and television series, the adaptation reaches into the backstory of Westeros: the reign of Aerys II, the last Targaryen king, whose descent into madness set in motion the events of the saga millions have followed on screen and page.

Game of Thrones: The Mad King runs at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, until 5 September 2026. The WhatsOnStage Podcast bonus episode is available now.