The Royal Shakespeare Company has announced full details for its stage adaptation of Game of Thrones: The Mad King, set to open in Stratford-upon-Avon in summer 2026. The production expands the world of George R R Martin’s novels with a large-scale epic focusing on key prequel events.

Game of Thrones: The Mad King will run at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre from 20 July to 5 September 2026, with an official opening night on 8 August. The play explores the turbulent final years before the events of Martin’s original novels, centring on characters including a young Ned Stark, Robert Baratheon, Jaime Lannister, and Lyanna Stark.

Adapted for the stage by Duncan Macmillan and directed by Dominic Cooke, the production is presented in a “new configuration” of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, aiming to immerse audiences in the intrigue and spectacle of Westeros. The narrative is framed by the line: “Wars aren’t won by those with most cause, but whose story’s best told.”

The creative team features puppetry and movement direction by Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell for Lume, alongside set design by Chloe Lamford and costume design by Georgia McGuinness. Lighting design is by Jon Clark, with original music composed by Will Stuart, and sound design by Tom Gibbons.

Additional contributors include Jeannette Nelson on voice and text work, Hazel Holder as dialect coach, and associate director Emily Raymond. The production also benefits from the involvement of associate puppetry and movement director Scarlet Wilderink, period dance consultant Francesca Roche, and a range of associate designers and assistants.

RSC co-artistic directors Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey expressed excitement about the collaboration, highlighting the ambition behind the adaptation and its promise to deliver a uniquely immersive theatrical experience.

Co-produced with Warner Bros Theatre Ventures for HBO and supported by producers Simon Painter, Tim Lawson, Mark Manuel, Sir Leonard Blavatnik, and Danny Cohen for Access Entertainment, the production marks a significant expansion of the Game of Thrones saga into live theatre.

Priority booking opens on 14 April, with public tickets available from 22 April, marking an early opportunity for audiences to secure places at what is billed as an epic new stage event in the fantasy genre.