Royal Shakespeare Company's Richard III to be shown in cinemas

The Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Richard III starring Arthur Hughes in the title role is to be screened to cinemas nationwide.

This will be the first time the organisation has broadcast a production to UK cinemas since before the pandemic. 

It will screen in cinemas from September 28 and will also be broadcast as live into classrooms for free on November 24, alongside a supporting package of online resources.

Directed by Gregory Doran, the production is the first time Richard III has been performed by a disabled actor in the RSC’s history. 

Both parts of Henry VI: Rebellion and Wars of the Roses will also be made available to watch on demand on the Royal Shakespeare Company’s website.

The productions were recorded live during their original runs in Stratford-upon-Avon in April 2022. 

Erica Whyman, RSC acting artistic director, said: "I am delighted that we will share this critically acclaimed Richard III on screen. 

"Gregory Doran, artistic director emeritus, has directed a vivid and imaginative production, in which Arthur Hughes is both terrifying and gloriously charismatic."

Whyman said that the RSC is "deeply committed" to making its work as accessible as possible.

She added: "We have adapted all of our Shakespeare productions in this way since 2012, most recently Much Ado About Nothing and The Winter’s Tale on BBC iPlayer, part of our decade-long project to capture all of Shakespeare’s plays on screen."