Stage production of Hamnet to tour the UK for the first time

The stage production of Hamnet will go on tour across the UK for the first time.

The play is based on Maggie O’Farrell’s best-selling novel and the Oscar-award-winning film starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal.

Set in 1582 Warwickshire, it follows the life of William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes Hathaway as they deal with the grief of losing their 11-year-old son, Hamnet.

Hamnet London stage production (Manuel Harlan/RSC/PA)

The Royal Shakespeare Company and Neal Street production will play across the country from September 2027.

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.”

The tour will open at the Lowry in Salford on September 25 before moving to stages in Newcastle, Cornwall, Norwich, Nottingham, Canterbury, Birmingham, Glasgow and Bath.

The production will also be staged in Belfast’s Grand Opera House in January 2028 with shows scheduled in York, London and Southampton with further dates and locations to be announced.

The play, which premiered at the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2023 before transferring to the West End, was adapted by playwright Lolita Chakrabarti, known for Life Of Pi and Red Velvet.

She said: “I am so thrilled that Hamnet is returning to the stage here in Britain. I was very aware of the enormous responsibility of making these historical figures relatable and to make them live again.

Hamnet production (Manuel Harlan/RSC/PA)

“William Shakespeare’s reach is beyond compare and everyone without exception has some knowledge of his life, his works, his stories and his language.

“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. I am very excited to bring this tale of love, loss and rebirth to so many cities in the UK.”