The ravens have flown, and a date has been set for the grand tourney at Harrnehal. Today, the Royal Shakespeare Company announced the run of dates for its highly-anticipated Game of Thrones stage play, along with the precise moment tickets go on sale. Titled Game of Thrones: The Mad King, the play takes audiences back to the beginning of Robert's Rebellion, when notable figures from across Westeros gathered for a huge tourney at Harrenhal, and the seeds of revolt were sown in earnest.
According to WhatsOnStage, Game of Thrones: The Mad King will run at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon from July 20 to September 5, 2026. The show's official opening night is set to take place on August 8, so I'm assuming some of those late July dates are for press and other early showings. We'll know for sure when priority booking opens on April 14, and public booking follows on April 22.
The announcement also confirmed some new information about the crew behind the play. We already knew that The Mad King is being adapted by Duncan Macmillan, with Dominic Cooke serving as director. But now we know a bunch of other credits, and they give an idea of the massive scope of this thing. Here's the full list from WhatsOnStage:
- Puppetry and movement direction — Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell for Lume
- Set design — Chloe Lamford
- Costume design — George McGuinness
- Lighting design — Jon Clark
- Music composer — Will Stuart
- Sound design — Tom Gibbons
- Casting — Amy Ball
- Voice and text work — Jeannette Nelson
- Dialect coaching — Hazel Holder
- Associate director — Emily Raymond
- Associate puppetry and movement director — Scarlet Wilderink
- Associate set designer — Machiko Weston
- Associate costume designer — Alex Berry
- Associate sound designer — Alex Twiselton
- Assistant director — Lenore Gallegos
- Period dance consultant — Francesca Roche
A lot of these credits are fairly standard for a theatrical production, but puppetry and period dance crew both caught my eye. The Mad King takes place at a tournament, so it stands to reason we're going to see some jousting or other things that could require puppet work. Add in some festivities like dancing and feasts, and it's easy to imagine how this show could end up being quite the spectacle, comparable to Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
In addition to all those credits, Ti Mikkel will also serve as a creative consultant for the play. Mikkel is George R.R. Martin's writing assistant, who has served on the writing staff for both House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Having her involved is a huge boon for the play.
“We are thrilled to share the full creative team and announce performance dates for Game of Thrones: The Mad King. This production brings together some of theatre’s most visionary talents to reimagine George R R Martin’s world for the stage," said Royal Shakespeare Company co-artistic directors Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey in a statement. “In a bold new configuration of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, audiences will find themselves at the very heart of the action — immersed in the intrigue and theatrical spectacle that promises to make this production truly epic. It’s an ambitious and exhilarating collaboration, and we can’t wait to welcome audiences into this extraordinary experience.”
What characters will appear in Game of Thrones: The Mad King?
This play explores a period of Martin's Westeros that has never before been dramatized fully, but nonetheless has an immense impact on the story of A Song of Ice and Fire. As Aerys Targaryen's reign grows ever more fraught, this tourney is organized as a way to bring conspirators together to discuss a possible coup. However, Aerys has already grown extremely paranoid by this point in time, so he shows up there himself and makes things more complicated.
Add in the fact that is also where Rhaegar Targaryen names Lyanna Stark as his Queen of Love and Beauty rather than his own wife, Elia Martell, and you get the catalyst for Robert's Rebellion. Robert Baratheon is a jealous man, and Rhaegar's public profession of affection sets the stage for the pair to eventually run away together — something which is spun by historians as Rhaegar kidnapping Lyanna, rather than the mutual love story we discovered in Game of Thrones.
Since these events are never shown in Martin's books, that means we'll finally get to see them for the first time. Expect Lyanna, Rhaegar, young Ned Stark and Robert Baratheon, as well as Jaime Lannister and more. It's going to be quite the occasion.
Martin has already teased many other characters who will show up in the play. As of right now none have been cast, but we'll undoubtedly hear who's playing them soon enough.
For more details about Game of Thrones: The Mad King, head over to the Royal Shakespeare Company's website.