RALPH DAVIS TO PLAY HAMLET IN RSC PRODUCTION VISITING BLACKPOOL GRAND IN MARCH 2026
‘Drown the stage with tears’ of joy!
Ralph Davis will play the title role in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s forthcoming touring production of Hamlet which visits Blackpool Grand Theatre from Tuesday 24 March to Saturday 28 March 2026.
An accomplished classical actor, Ralph Davishas already played several leading men. He was nominated for the 2023 Ian Charleson Award for playing Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, appeared as Edmund in King Lear (both at Shakespeare’s Globe), and most recently played Iago in Othello at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, for which he came second in the 2025 Ian Charleson Awards. As well as other theatre credits at the Almeida, Chichester Festival Theatre, Ustinov Studio and elsewhere, Ralph’s RSC credits include Tamburlaine, Timon of Athens, Richard III and King John.
Ralph co-wrote, created and starred in Film Clubfor the BBC which came out earlier this year. His other screen credits include House of the Dragonfor HBO, Big Boys for Channel 4, SAS: Rogue Heroes, Life After Life and Steve McQueen’s Small Axe for the BBC.
Talking about playing Hamlet, Ralph Davis said:
“I am feeling galvanised as hell! Hamlet changed my life as a little boy. I used to make the pilgrimage to Stratford (which was 10 minutes down the road from where I lived) every few years to watch various heroes of mine climb the mountain of the part and explore the depths of this great, great play. It’s a beast. The most exciting story, compelling characters and the most penetrating and beautiful of words. The fact that I am going to get to go on that journey every evening whilst travelling round the country at the same time, is just completely thrilling.”
Hamlet – Shakespeare’s epic family drama of deceit and murder – is directed by multi award-winner Rupert Goold. The production visits NAME OF VENUE/CITY in Month Year as part of a tour, after originally opening in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon earlier this year. The production visits Blackpool Grand Theatre in March 2026, as part of a tour…
Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark. After the death of Hamlet’s father, his uncle, Claudius, marries his mother and takes the throne for himself. In one of the most famous scenes in Shakespeare, Hamlet’s father appears to the young prince as a ghost, telling his son that he was murdered by Claudius. Seeking vengeance, he wants Hamlet to kill Claudius, setting off a tragic chain of events.
Talking about the tour Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey, RSC Co-Artistic Directors said:
“We are delighted that Rupert Goold’s production of Hamlet – perhaps Shakespeare’s most famous play – will be taking to the road in 2026. It promises to be a thrilling piece of theatre, and we can’t wait for audiences up and down the country to see it.
“Our long-term partnerships with regional theatres across England are a central part of our mission to redefine experiences of Shakespeare’s work with and for young people and adults. We are excited that audiences in town and cities across England will get to see this new production and have opportunities to deepen their connection to the play through participation work happening in and around each of the theatres.”
Rupert Goold’s theatre credits include celebrated productions of Dear England (National Theatre), and Romeo and Juliet and The Merchant of Venice (RSC). In 2026 Rupert will take up the role of Artistic Director of The Old Vic after 13 years at the Almeida Theatre. He has received Olivier, Critics’ Circle and Evening Standardawards for Best Director twice and won a Peabody Award in 2011 for Macbeth. In 2017 he received a CBE in the New Year’s Honours for services to drama.
Joining Rupert on the creative team are: Sophie Drake (Revival Director), Es Devlin (Set Designer), Evie Gurney (Costume Designer), Jack Knowles (Lighting Designer), Adam Cork (Composer and Sound Designer), Hannes Langolf (Movement Director), Akhila Krishnan(Video Designer), Kev McCurdy (Fight Director); and Charlotte Sutton CDG (Casting Director).
The tour of Hamlet is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, which makes it possible for the RSC to expand its tour to work in partnership with more places across England.
The RSC’s Hamlet is at Blackpool Grand Theatre from Tuesday 24 March to Saturday 28 March 2026 with evening and matinee performances available.
Tickets from £15. School and Group rates available.
Please call the Box Office on 01253 290190 or visit www.BlackpoolGrand.co.uk for full listings, bookings and further information.
LISTINGS
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Hamlet
Tue 24 Mar to Sat 24 Mar 2026 at 7.30pm
Thu & Sat matinee at 2pm
Grand Theatre, 33 Church Street, Blackpool FY1 1HT
Box Office 01253 290 190
blackpoolgrand.co.uk
Facebook – @blackpoolgrand
Twitter – @Grand_Theatre
Instagram – grandtheatrebpl …
‘Drown the stage with tears.’
Grief can play tricks on the mind, even conjure ghosts. But when Hamlet’s dead father appears to him one night, he signals murder, not madness.
Hamlet’s mother has married his uncle, and at a less than decent interval too. As he pulls at the threads of his not-so-happy new family, Hamlet unravels a web of deceit and immorality that leads to the ultimate crisis of conscience.
Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s mission is to bring people together to experience stories that deepen our understanding of ourselves, each other and the world around us, and that bring joy. Shakespeare’s restless exploration of all of human nature is their inspiration and touchstone. The Company’s roots lie in the bold vision of a local brewer, Edward Fordham Flower, who in 1879 established a theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon with his son Charles. The RSC as we know it today was formed by Sir Peter Hall, whose ambition was to produce new plays alongside those of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. They continue this today across three permanent theatres in Stratford – the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, the Swan Theatre and The Other Place – and indeed online and around the globe. The RSC believes everybody’s life can be enriched by culture and creativity. Their transformative Creative Learning and Engagement programmes reach over half a million young people and adults each year and they have collaborated with generations of the very best theatre makers and continue to nurture the talent of the future.
For further information, please visit www.rsc.org.uk
Arts Council England is the national development body for arts and culture across England, working to enrich people’s lives. They support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to visual art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2018 and 2022, ACE invested £1.45 billion of public money from government and an estimated £860 million from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country.
For further information please visit www.artscouncil.org.uk
Blackpool Grand Theatre – Arts Council England, National Portfolio Organisation
In July 2014 the Arts Council England granted the Grand Theatre, National Portfolio Organisation status
The Arts Council’s National Portfolio Organisations represent some of the best arts practice in the world, and they play a vital role in helping ACE meet their mission of great art and culture for everyone. ACE are determined to fund organisations at a level at which they can continue to produce the excellent and innovative art that audiences want and deserve.
Blackpool’s Grand Theatre – Heritage and History
The Grand Theatre was opened on July 23, 1894 by Thomas Sergenson who immediately dubbed the theatre ‘Matcham’s Masterpiece’. This title is even more merited now that there are few surviving examples of the work of Frank Matcham, the leading Victorian theatre architect.
Access
We want to make a visit to Blackpool’s Grand Theatre a comfortable and enjoyable one for everyone. Accessibility is one of our priorities and full information about all the access provisions of our venue, including our guides, maps, facilities including seating arrangements, assistance dogs, accessible performances, hearing loops and how to sign up to our Access Register, is available at https://www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk/box-office-and-venue/our-venue/accessibility
For further information on Blackpool Grand Theatre visit: www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk
Marketing Department, Grand Theatre, 33 Church Street, Blackpool FY1 1HT
t. 01253 743261 | e.
