Hamnet - A World Premier

Hamnet, Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 1 April - 17 June.

Preview

'She’s like no one I’ve ever met... She’s like fire and water all at once.'

Warwickshire, 1582. Agnes Hathaway, a natural healer, meets the Latin tutor, William Shakespeare. Drawn together by powerful but hidden impulses, they create a life together and make a family.

As William moves to London to discover his place in the world of theatre, Agnes stays at home to raise their three children, but she is the constant presence and purpose of his life.

When the plague steals 11-year-old Hamnet from his loving parents, they must each confront their loss alone. And yet, out of the greatest suffering, something of extraordinary wonder is born.

This new play based on Maggie O'Farrell's best-selling novel, adapted by award-winning playwright Lolita Chakrabarti (Life of Pi, Red Velvet, Hymn), pulls back a curtain on the imagined family life of the greatest writer in the English language. Hamnet is a love letter to passion, birth, grief and the magic of nature.

This spring, you are invited to meet William and Agnes and their family, in Stratford-upon-Avon. You are welcome to experience this world premiere directed by Acting Artistic Director, Erica Whyman, which reopens the stunning Swan Theatre for the first time in more than three years, after being beautifully restored and renovated.

For more information and tickets, visit: https://www.rsc.org.uk/hamnet/