‘Summer is coming!’: Royal Shakespeare Company to stage epic Game of Thrones prequel

The Guardian - World NewsEN 3 min read 100% complete by Chris Wiegand Stage editorFebruary 18, 2026 at 07:00 PM

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The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) will stage "Game of Thrones: The Mad King," a prequel to George R.R. Martin's "Game of Thrones," in Stratford-upon-Avon this summer. Martin, who cites Shakespeare as an inspiration, chose the RSC due to their experience staging battles and exploring similar themes of dynastic struggle and ambition. Adapted by Duncan Macmillan and directed by Dominic Cooke, the play takes place a decade before the events of "Game of Thrones" and examines themes of authority and identity through the lens of young people. Martin will serve as executive producer. The RSC's co-artistic directors see the play as a continuation of Shakespeare's history cycles.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms 30% House of the Dragon 30% Charles Dance 40% HBO 40% Tamara Harvey 50% Daniel Evans 50% Duncan Macmillan 60% Stratford-upon-Avon ×260% Dominic Cooke 60% Royal Shakespeare Company ×480% George RR Martin ×490% Game of Thrones ×690%

Keywords

game of thrones 100% royal shakespeare company 90% stage play 80% prequel 70% george rr martin 70% shakespeare 60% fantasy saga 50% the mad king 40% dynastic struggle 40%

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Very Positive

Score: 0.70

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Source

The Guardian - World News

Classification Confidence

90%

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Stratford-upon-Avon

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis.

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game of thrones royal shakespeare company stage play prequel george rr martin shakespeare fantasy saga the mad king dynastic struggle

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