Full Casting Announced for the RSC's Pericles

Pericles at The Swan Theatre this summer. Photo (c) Seamus Ryan.

Pericles By William Shakespeare, directed by Co-Artistic Director. Tamara Harvey, at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, from 26 July to 21 September. Press Night Wednesday 7 August 7pm.

Preview

 ‘O you gods! Why do you make us love your goodly gifts, And snatch them straight away?’ 

When Prince Pericles solves a riddle set by the King, he knows the answer could get him killed. Fleeing for safety, he finds himself swept away on an epic voyage that will see him battle princes, marry his true love and become a father. But this is also a journey of storms and shipwrecks, abduction and devastating loss. Adrift in an ocean of grief, will Pericles ever see his family again? 

Full casting is announced for the RSC’s forthcoming production of Shakespeare’s Pericles. Directed by the RSC’s Co-Artistic director, Tamara Harvey, the show runs in the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon between 26 July – 21 September.  

Alfred Enoch as Pericles. Photo (c) the artist.

Alfred Enoch, who is starring in the titular role, is well-known for his television work including How to Get Away With Murder, as well as his acclaimed stage work including Red (Wyndham's), Romeo in Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare's Globe) and Orlando in As You Like It (@sohoplace). He will be joined by Rachelle Diedericks as Marina, Leah Haile as Thaisa, Chukwuma Omambala as Cleon, Christian Patterson as Simonides and Gabby Wong as Dionyza.  

Shakespeare’s stirring tale of love, hope and miracles will see RSC Co-Artistic Director, Tamara Harvey, make her directorial debut with the company. Harvey said: “Daniel and I are now a year into our tenure as Co-Artistic Directors. In building our first season, we have always come back to the question of “why this show and why now” – of how particular stories, however new or old, might be in conversation with our world today.

Rachelle Diedericks makes her RSC debut as Marina. Photo (c) the artist.

“As one of Shakespeare’s late, great plays, Pericles has so much to say about who we are and who we might become; about what it means to be a leader, what it means to love and to lose everything; what it is to navigate a course through adversity and what it takes to keep striving in a desperately fragile world. 

“Like so many artists joining us across the year, this will be my first time directing at the RSC. To be making my début alongside Alfred Enoch, whom I last worked with during lockdown on a screen adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray, is both an extraordinary joy and a privilege. I am so looking forward to collaborating with this wonderful company of actors, immersing ourselves in the unique magic of Shakespeare’s language and bringing this story to life in the exquisite intimacy of the iconic Swan Theatre. The journey begins…” 

The full cast comprises Miles Barrow (Thaliard/Boult), Philip Bird (Helicanus), Jacqueline Boatswain (Cerimon/Bawd), Rachelle Diedericks (Marina), Alfred Encoh (Pericles), Chyna-Rose Frederick (Antiochus’ Daughter/Lychorida/Diana), Sasha Ghoshal (Ensemble), Leah Haile (Thaisa), Felix Hayes (Anitochus/Pander), Kel Matsena (Lysimachus), Miriam O’Brien (Ensemble), Emmanuel Olusanya (Ensemble), Chukwuma Omambala (Cleon), Sam Parks (Escanes, Leonine), Christian Patterson (Simonides) and Gabby Wong (Dionyza). Discover the full biographies of the cast on the RSC website.

Joining Tamara on the creative team are Jonathan Fensom (Set Designer), Kinnetia Isidore (Costume Designer), Ryan Day (Lighting Designer), Claire van Kampen (Composer), Claire Windsor (Sound Designer), Annie-Lunnette Deakin-Foster (Movement Director), Charlotte Sutton CDG (Casting Director), Francesca Murray-Fuentes (Associate Director) and Juliano Zaffino (Textual Consultant).  

Pericles will transfer to the Chicago Shakespeare Theater from 20 October 2024. 

 For tickets call the Box Office on 01789 331111 or visit: https://www. rsc.org.uk