Freema Agyeman is to make her Royal Shakespeare Company debut as Olivia in Twelfth Night, which will run in Stratford at Christmas 2024.
She played the nurse in Romeo and Juliet earlier in 2024 at the Duke of York’s Theatre, London and in 2023 she took the role of Veronica in Christopher Hampton’s translation of Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage at Lyric Hammersmith Theatre.
Bally Gill, who played Oberon and Theseus in Eleanor Rhode’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream earlier in 2024, returns to the RSC as Orsino. It will be the fifth time he has performed in a Shakespeare play at the RSC.
As previously announced, Samuel West will play Malvolio and Gwyneth Keyworth will be Viola.
The rest of the cast comprises Emily Benjamin (Priest), Norman Bowman (Antonio), George Fletcher (second officer and Orsino’s attendant), Demetri Goritsas (Sir Andrew Aguecheek), Michael Grady-Hall (Feste), Danielle Henry (Maria), Michael Lyle (first officer and Orsino’s attendant), Cat McKeever (sea captain), Daniel Millar (Fabian), Reece Miller (Orsino’s attendant), Charlotte O’Leary (Olivia’s woman), Thom Petty (Curio), Rhys Rusbatch (Sebastian), Joplin Sibtain (Sir Toby Belch), Tom Sowinski (Orsino’s attendant) and David Whitworth (Valentine).
Director Prasanna Puwanarajah, who directed Thomas Otway’s Venice Preserved in the Swan Theatre, Stratford in 2019, will return to the RSC and said, “I’m delighted and honoured to be back in the RSC rehearsal rooms working on this beautiful play with such a terrific company of performers and creative collaborators; some are new to the RSC and some are veterans of the company, some are long-term collaborators of mine and some are exciting and wonderful new creative partnerships.
“They’re a kind, creative, bold and soulful group of artists and I’m so grateful to casting director Matthew Dewsbury, the whole of the RSC casting department and to (RSC co-artistic directors) Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey for their work in putting together this stunning ensemble.”
The creative team also includes James Cotterill (set and costume designer), Zoe Spurr (lighting designer), Matt Maltese (composer), George Dennis (sound designer) and Polly Bennett (movement director).
Twelfth Night will run in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre from Thursday 5 December until Saturday 18 January 2025. Press night will be on Thursday 12 December.