Latest news with #RSC
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sam Heughan to play Macbeth in Royal Shakespeare Company debut
OUTLANDER star Sam Heughan is to play Macbeth in his debut with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). The British theatre company has announced its programme of events for 2025/2026, including a raft of plays that will be staged in Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of famous playwright William Shakespeare. In the RSC's latest version of Macbeth, Scottish actor Heughan, 45, known for playing Highland warrior Jamie Fraser in romance drama Outlander, will star opposite The Day Of The Jackal actress Lia Williams, as Lady Macbeth. READ MORE: How Edinburgh became a capital truly fit for a king Heughan said: 'At age 18, standing on the main stage of the Royal Lyceum Edinburgh, playing 'spear-carrier number 2' (essentially a glorified extra) in a production of Macbeth, I could only dream of one day playing the infamous title character. 'It feels full circle to be returning to the stage, after over a decade working primarily in television and film. 'Not only is Macbeth my favourite Shakespeare play: intense, immediate and unsettling, it also happens to be famously Scottish. 'The RSC has always been at the pinnacle of my ambition and I feel deeply honoured and thankful to be working alongside some enormously talented and creative people. 'The Other Place is the perfect space to create an intense, intimate production and, like Lady M, we will be calling upon the spirits of the RSC's highly acclaimed past productions for their blessing.' David Tennant, Sir Ian McKellen, and Ralph Fiennes are among the actors who have played the famous character who, consumed by greed and power, murders the king to take the Scottish throne for himself. The new production will be shown at The Other Place theatre from October 9 to December 6. Elsewhere, four of Shakespeare's most famous characters have their stories revisited across two performances, also being staged at The Other Place, from January 2026. The first performance in All Is But Fantasy explores the story of Lady Macbeth, who is consumed by guilt after plotting to murder King Duncan, and Emilia, a character in tragedy play, Othello. The second performance looks at the story of Juliet, from tragic romance story Romeo And Juliet, and Richard III, who uses manipulation to become king in the eponymous play. READ MORE: Edinburgh Fringe programme launches with 3350 shows across 265 venues Olivier award-winning actor Adrian Lester will play the title role of Cyrano de Bergerac in a new version of Edmond Rostand's play about the novelist and playwright, showing at the Swan Theatre from September 27 to November 15. Over at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Harry Potter star Alfred Enoch will star as Henry V in a play running from March 14 to April 25 2026. Other highlights include an 80-minute staging of King Lear and a two-part adaptation of John Galsworthy's novels, The Forsyte Saga, both playing at the Swan Theatre later in the year, with the former also going on tour. The RSC is also staging plays in the West End and recently announced the UK premiere of Liz Duffy Adams's Born With Teeth, which will play at Wyndham's Theatre, previewing on August 13 with a final performance on November 1. The production follows rival playwrights Christopher Marlowe, played by Doctor Who's Ncuti Gatwa, and Shakespeare, played by Killing Eve's Edward Bluemel.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Outlander's Sam Heughan to star in 'Macbeth' stage production
June 3 (UPI) -- Outlander actor Sam Heughan will make his Royal Shakespeare Company debut in Macbeth opposite The Crown actress Lia Williams. Heughan, 45, described his upcoming role as a "full circle" moment on Instagram Tuesday. "At age 18, standing on the main stage of the Royal Lyceum Edinburgh, playing 'spear-carrier number 2,' (essentially a glorified extra) in a production of Macbeth, I could only dream of one day playing the infamous title character," he said. "It feels full circle to be returning to the stage, after over a decade working primarily in television and film." He portrayed Jamie Fraser opposite Caitriona Balfe on Outlander for over a decade. The show premiered on Starz in 2014. Heughan told Deadline that after wrapping the show's finale, he was on the lookout for an exciting role. "I've been doing Outlander for 11 years, and obviously it was brilliant, but I wanted something else. And I went to the RSC to see Edward II there, and I just felt that buzz. I sat in the auditorium and I felt that excitement, sort of the churn in my stomach as the lights went down and I was like, 'Yeah, this is the drug I'm looking for,'" he said. "And it's terrifying. And I think that's a good thing to be scared again." Performances begin Oct. 9 at Stratford-upon-Avon's The Other Place, and wind down Dec. 6. "Not only is Macbeth my favorite Shakespeare play: intense, immediate and unsettling, it also happens to be famously Scottish. The RSC has always been at the pinnacle of my ambition and I feel deeply honored and thankful to be working alongside some enormously talented and creative people," he said on Instagram. "The Other Place is the perfect space to create an intense, intimate production and, like lady M, we will be calling upon the spirits of the RSC's highly acclaimed past productions for their blessing."
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sam Heughan Shocks Fans With Major Career Switch-Up: 'It Feels Full Circle'
Sam Heughan Shocks Fans With Major Career Switch-Up: 'It Feels Full Circle' originally appeared on Parade. announced a major career switch-up after finishing filming for Outlander—and fans were both shocked and thrilled about his upcoming project. On Tuesday, June 3, the Scottish actor, 45, took to Instagram with huge news: He will star in the play Macbeth alongside Lia Williams as Lady Macbeth at the Stratford-upon-Avon in England. 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 "At age 18, standing on the main stage of the Royal Lyceum Edinburgh, playing 'spear-carrier number 2' (essentially a glorified extra) in a production of Macbeth, I could only dream of one day playing the infamous title character," Heughan captioned his update. The Couple Next Door star continued, "It feels full circle to be returning to the stage, after over a decade working primarily in television and film. Not only is Macbeth my favourite Shakespeare play: intense, immediate and unsettling, it also happens to be famously Scottish." To wrap up his post, Heughan tagged the Royal Shakespeare Company, calling his RSC debut "the pinnacle of my ambition." He also noted that he "feel[s] deeply honoured and thankful to be working alongside some enormously talented and creative people." "The Other Place is the perfect space to create an intense, intimate production and, like lady M, we will be calling upon the spirits of the RSC's highly acclaimed past productions for their blessing," the Scottish hunk concluded. "See you in Stratford Upon Avon!" Related: In the comments, Heughan's Instagram followers could hardly contain their excitement. One fan wrote, "I hope to see my dream come true and be in a privileged audience. Thank you Sam, it's going to be a real treat to see you on stage. 🙌❤️👏." Another shared, "It's super exciting seeing you back to your theatrical roots and shining in your stage element! Congrats! #breakaleg 🙌🏼💜." Someone else declared, "This is so exciting! What a way to return to the stage! 🙌❤️." Meanwhile, yet another follower commented, "What a full circle moment—Macbeth is such an iconic role, and it's so incredibly deserved. I'm so happy for you and beyond excited to see your take on this dream part! Break a leg!🥹🥃🎭👏🏼🎉❤️." Next: Sam Heughan Shocks Fans With Major Career Switch-Up: 'It Feels Full Circle' first appeared on Parade on Jun 3, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
UPI
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- UPI
'Outlander's Sam Heughan to star in 'Macbeth' stage production
1 of 3 | Sam Heughan is set to star in "Macbeth" beginning in October. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo June 3 (UPI) -- Outlander actor Sam Heughan will make his Royal Shakespeare Company debut in Macbeth opposite The Crown actress Lia Williams. Heughan, 45, described his upcoming role as a "full circle" moment on Instagram Tuesday. "At age 18, standing on the main stage of the Royal Lyceum Edinburgh, playing 'spear-carrier number 2,' (essentially a glorified extra) in a production of Macbeth, I could only dream of one day playing the infamous title character," he said. "It feels full circle to be returning to the stage, after over a decade working primarily in television and film." He portrayed Jamie Fraser opposite Caitriona Balfe on Outlander for over a decade. The show premiered on Starz in 2014. Heughan told Deadline that after wrapping the show's finale, he was on the lookout for an exciting role. "I've been doing Outlander for 11 years, and obviously it was brilliant, but I wanted something else. And I went to the RSC to see Edward II there, and I just felt that buzz. I sat in the auditorium and I felt that excitement, sort of the churn in my stomach as the lights went down and I was like, 'Yeah, this is the drug I'm looking for,'" he said. "And it's terrifying. And I think that's a good thing to be scared again." Performances begin Oct. 9 at Stratford-upon-Avon's The Other Place, and wind down Dec. 6. "Not only is Macbeth my favorite Shakespeare play: intense, immediate and unsettling, it also happens to be famously Scottish. The RSC has always been at the pinnacle of my ambition and I feel deeply honored and thankful to be working alongside some enormously talented and creative people," he said on Instagram. "The Other Place is the perfect space to create an intense, intimate production and, like lady M, we will be calling upon the spirits of the RSC's highly acclaimed past productions for their blessing."
Daily Record
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Outlander's Sam Heughan to star as Macbeth in theatre debut
Scottish acting star Sam Heughan, famed for his role as Outlander's Jamie Fraser, says his 'dreams have come true' as he will make his debut with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Outlander star Sam Heughan is set to return to the stage for his theatre debut as Macbeth, at the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). It comes as they announced their line-up of events for the year ahead, and into 2026. Among a stellar line-up of plays to take place, Heughan was delighted to announce he will star in a leading role of RSC's latest version of Macbeth at William Shakespeare's birthplace of Stratford-upon-Avon. The Scots actor, famed for portraying Jamie Fraser in hit historical romance programme Outlander, admitted his dreams have come true as he landed the role. He will feature alongside The Day Of The Jackal actress Lia Williams, starring as Lady Macbeth. Discussing his new role, Sam,45, said: "At age 18, standing on the main stage of the Royal Lyceum Edinburgh, playing 'spear-carrier number 2' (essentially a glorified extra) in a production of Macbeth, I could only dream of one day playing the infamous title character. 'It feels full circle to be returning to the stage, after over a decade working primarily in television and film. 'Not only is Macbeth my favourite Shakespeare play: intense, immediate and unsettling, it also happens to be famously Scottish. 'The RSC has always been at the pinnacle of my ambition and I feel deeply honoured and thankful to be working alongside some enormously talented and creative people. 'The Other Place is the perfect space to create an intense, intimate production and, like Lady M, we will be calling upon the spirits of the RSC's highly acclaimed past productions for their blessing.' David Tennant, Sir Ian McKellen, and Ralph Fiennes are among the actors who have played the famous character previously. The new production will be shown at The Other Place theatre from October 9 to December 6. Before fame, Sam was looking fresh-faced and almost unrecognisable on stage in the award-winning production of David Greig's Outlying Islands when it premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival back in 2002. The Traverse Theatre Company shared a promotional poster featuring Sam as he made an uncanny resemblance to a character from the Twilight vampire series, sporting pale skin, red lips and bright blue eyes. The actor was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Most Promising Performer for his role in the stage show, reports Hello!, with it coming two years before Sam appeared in his first professional television role in the miniseries Island at War. Meanwhile, Outlander fans are preparing to mark the end of an era as they await the eighth and final season of the globally celebrated franchise, based on Diana Gabaldon's best-selling books.
