Henry IV, Part 1

Eight plays, charting 100 years of English history, dramatised by the world’s greatest playwright.

In February 2006, the actors of the RSC Histories Ensemble joined Artistic Director Michael Boyd’s creative team of directors, designers, musicians and theatre practitioners from every discipline to embark on an extraordinary two-year ensemble project to stage Shakespeare’s epic history cycle of eight plays.

Shakespeare’s plays chart over a century of turbulent English history, from the usurpation of Richard II and Henry V’s glorious victory at Agincourt, to the bloody chaos of the Wars of the Roses and their brutal climax on Bosworth Field. They contain some of the best loved and most infamous characters and scenes ever written for the stage – from Falstaff holding riotous court in Eastcheap, to Henry V on the eve of battle and Richard III plotting his murderous ascent to power.

This once in a lifetime cycle now reaches its climax at the Roundhouse promising a unique theatrical experience in one of London’s most iconic venues.

Cast & Crew

Cast

Observations

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