Sir Kenneth Branagh is returning to the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) after more than 30 years away, in what artistic directors have described as a “once-in-a-generation theatrical event.” The actor, director, and Oscar-winning filmmaker will headline the RSC’s 2026 season in Stratford-upon-Avon, taking on Prospero in The Tempest under the direction of Sir Richard Eyre. He will also appear opposite Helen Hunt in The Cherry Orchard.
For Branagh, who last performed with the RSC in 1994 as Hamlet, the return is both a personal and artistic homecoming. “When they asked me to come back, my response was a swift and enthusiastic yes,” he told the BBC. “There’s a new creative energy spilling out of the RSC under Tamara Harvey and Daniel Evans, and I’m excited to be part of it.”
A Return to Stratford with The Tempest
Branagh’s association with Stratford goes back much further than his last performance there. In 1978, as a teenager from Belfast, he hitchhiked to Warwickshire to see The Tempest for just 90p. He camped out with “a tent, a dream, and three cans of Heinz sausages and beans.”
“The first play I saw was The Tempest, with Michael Hordern as Prospero,” Branagh recalled. “I was enthused and excited by the whole experience. Nearly 50 years later, I feel the same way. Only this time, I don’t think I’ll hitchhike, and I may avoid the sausages and beans.”
In 2026, he will step into that very role — Prospero, the magician-duke whose struggle with power, betrayal and forgiveness is one of Shakespeare’s most layered creations. Directing him will be Sir Richard Eyre, former head of the National Theatre, making his RSC debut.
Eyre said the play “resonates for me because it’s about freedom, power, colonialism, and art. Kenneth is a brilliant actor with immense authority and gravitas. He brings decades of Shakespearean experience on stage and film, which makes him perfect for Prospero.”
Sharing the Stage with Helen Hunt
Alongside The Tempest, Branagh will appear in Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, playing opposite Academy Award-winner Helen Hunt in her RSC debut. The production will be directed by co-artistic director Tamara Harvey.
For the RSC, securing two international names is a coup. Harvey and Evans described Branagh’s return as “a celebration of theatre-making on an epic scale,” and said the 2026 season would bring together “exceptional talent with plays that speak powerfully to today’s audiences.”
The season will also feature writer-performer Mark Gatiss in Brecht’s The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, another RSC debut.
Branagh’s Shakespearean Legacy
Few living actors have as close an association with Shakespeare as Branagh. His breakthrough film, Henry V (1989), which he directed at the age of 28, earned him Oscar nominations for both acting and directing. His sweeping depiction of the Battle of Agincourt, filmed with visceral grit, became a landmark in modern Shakespeare on screen.
That film was followed by Much Ado About Nothing (1993), set in a sunlit Italian villa and starring Branagh alongside Emma Thompson. It remains one of the most joyous Shakespeare adaptations committed to film. He went on to tackle Othello, Hamlet and Love’s Labour’s Lost, establishing what many consider a golden era of Shakespeare on film.
Across his career, Branagh has worked on 35 Shakespeare productions. “We needn’t overthink the so-called battle with technology or be militant about making people ‘like’ Shakespeare,” he said. “The desire is to divert, not convert. That can be a lot of fun.”
Stage, Screen and Beyond
While Shakespeare has been a constant, Branagh’s career has spanned genres and continents. He has starred in acclaimed television dramas like Wallander and Shackleton, played Professor Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and directed and starred in three films as Hercule Poirot.
In 2022, he won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay with Belfast, his autobiographical coming-of-age film, which also won the BAFTA for Outstanding British Film. He is set to appear in The Devil Wears Prada 2 opposite Meryl Streep, underscoring his enduring presence in Hollywood.
Despite his film success, Branagh has always returned to the stage. For him, Stratford remains special. “Stepping on to the stage there is never less than thrilling,” he said. “The legacy of all those who’ve gone before — actors and audiences — is an inspiration rather than a weight.”
A Year in Training for Prospero
Playing Prospero, Branagh admits, requires stamina. He began preparing physically and mentally in March. “I need at least a year of many types of exercise — mental and physical — to be ready,” he explained. His return will mark the culmination of that preparation, reflecting his belief that Shakespeare demands not only craft but endurance.
Eyre, too, hopes to stretch the production’s reach beyond traditional audiences. “I hope there’ll be some magic about it that appeals to every generation,” he said.
The Case for Arts Funding
At a time when public arts funding is under pressure, Branagh used the announcement to argue passionately for state support.
“For the 90p ticket price that subsidy allowed me nearly 50 years ago, they changed my life,” he said. “That investment helped steer me — and many others — into careers that have brought hundreds of millions back into the economy. Cultural power may be considered soft power, but I would call it a superpower — a particularly British superpower to be proud of.”
Eyre echoed the call: “The arts are weapons of happiness and understanding. They are as important to the health of the nation as weapons of war.”
Anticipation Builds for 2026
With Branagh returning to the RSC after more than three decades, Helen Hunt making her debut, and Eyre directing Shakespeare for the first time with the company, the 2026 season is already shaping up as one of the most anticipated cultural events in recent memory.
Tickets are expected to be in high demand when they go on sale. The Tempest will run at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon from 13 May to 20 June 2026, with a press night on 26 May.
For Branagh, the return is both a personal journey and a cultural milestone. “The RSC is where my dream of Shakespeare began,” he said. “To come back now, nearly 50 years after seeing my first play here, feels like coming full circle.”
Key Takeaway
Kenneth Branagh’s return to the RSC after 30 years — starring in The Tempest and The Cherry Orchard — brings together some of the biggest names in theatre and film. For Branagh, it is a chance to reconnect with his roots in Stratford; for audiences, it promises one of the most exciting cultural seasons of 2026.
