Game of Thrones Stage Prequel The Mad King Dates U.K. World Premiere

Dates have been set for the previously announced world premiere of the Game of Thrones stage prequel, The Mad King, which will run at Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon July 20-September 5. Opening will be August 8.

Priority ticket sales for RSC members begin at 10 AM GMT April 14, with general sales beginning April 22 at 10 AM GMT.

The work will explore the world of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire book series, taking place a decade before the books' events. Duncan Macmillan (Every Brilliant Thing) has penned the work, and Dominic Cooke is directing.

Newly revealed to be joining them on the creative team are puppetry and movement gurus Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell (of Lume), set designer Chloe Lamford, costume designer Georgia McGuinness, lighting designer Jon Clark, composer Will Stuart, sound designer Tom Gibbons, voice and text coach Jeannette Nelson, dialect coach Hazel Holder, and casting director Amy Ball. The associate team will include 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, and assistant director Lenore Gallegos. Ti Mikkel will serve as a creative consultant, with Francesca Roche as period dance consultant.

“We are thrilled to share the full creative team and announce performance dates for Game of Thrones: The Mad King," say RSC Co-Artistic Directors Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey in a joint statement. "This production brings together some of theatre’s most visionary talents to reimagine George R. R. Martin’s world for the stage. 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.”

Press notes promise that it will follow the event that inspired Robert's Rebellion: the Tourney at Harrenhal, with all of the noble houses of Westeros in attendance. At the jousting tournament, the married Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, son of the Mad King Aerys, falls in love with Lyanna Stark. Subsequently, Rhaegar and Lyanna run off together. This leads to Robert's Rebellion, led by Robert Baratheon, who is engaged to Lyanna. The Rebellion successfully deposes the Mad King, leads to the downfall of House Targaryen, and directly ties into the events in Game of Thrones. The play will purportedly feature popular Thrones characters Ned Stark and Jaime Lannister.

The Mad King is one of multiple projects inspired by Martin's books, which all take place in a fictional land called Westeros that contains dragons and magic. Martin has previously said his work was inspired by the War of the Roses, in particular Shakespeare's dramatizations of them. Martin has written several prequel novels, which inspired the two television prequels currently airing on HBO: House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Meanwhile, Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire book series remains unfinished; Martin has been working on the sixth novel in the series, The Winds of Winter, since 2012.

Game of Thrones: The Mad King is co-produced with Simon Painter, Tim Lawson, Mark Manuel, Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, HBO, and Leonard Blavatnik and Danny Cohen for Access Entertainment.

Visit RSC.org.uk.