FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR RSC’S MEASURE FOR MEASURE
Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare
Directed by Emily Burns
Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Saturday 13 September – Saturday 25 October
Press Night: Tuesday 23 September at 7pm
BOX OFFICE: rsc.org.uk, 01789 331111
Full casting is announced for the RSC’s forthcoming production of William Shakespeare’s razor-sharp thriller of hypocrisy and corruption, Measure for Measure, directed by Emily Burns, which runs in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon between Saturday 13 September – Saturday 25 October 2025.
Making their RSC debuts, the production will feature Isis Hainsworth as Isabella, Adam James as Duke Vincentio and Tom Mothersdale as Angelo.
Isis Hainsworth began her career in the West End. She is best known for her role in the BBC Three horror series Red Rose. Her previous theatre credits include The Outrun (Edinburgh International Festival / Royal Lyceum Theatre), The House of Bernarda Alba (National Theatre), Romeo & Juliet (Almeida), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Bridge Theatre), Moonlight/Nightschool (Harold Pinter Theatre), Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour (National Theatre Scotland) and What Now? (Strange Town at the Traverse). Screen credits include Red Rose, Les Miserables, The Victim, Harlots, Wanderlust, One of Us, In Plain Sight, Catherine Called Birdy, Metal Lords, Emma and Misbehaviour.
Adam James is known for his numerous screen credits which include Dalgliesh, Young Sherlock, The Buccaneers, The Day of the Jackal, Hotel Portofino, The Suspect, Treason, Vigil, Belgravia, I May Destroy You, Deep State, King Charles III, Home from Home and Doctor Foster. His theatre credits include Consent (National Theatre/Harold Pinter Theatre) King Charles III (Almeida/Wyndham’s Theatre/Broadway), Girl From The North Country (Noel Coward Theatre), Shipwreck (Almeida Theatre), The Happy Tragedy of Being Woke (Complicité), Bull (Young Vic/Sheffield Crucible/Off Broadway 59E59 New York), My Child, Now or Later (Royal Court), 13, Blood and Gifts, Gethsemene (National Theatre), The Memory of Water, Tiger Country, Rapture, Blister, Burn (Hampstead Theatre), Much Ado About Nothing (Wyndham’s Theatre), King Lear, Time and The Conways, Poor Superman, Snake in Fridge (Royal Exchange Theatre), An Enemy of the People, Glass Menagerie, Chimes at Midnight (Chichester Festival Theatre/Minerva Theatre) and Original Sin (Sheffield Crucible).
Tom Mothersdale is known for his roles on screen in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light. Other screen work includes Brian & Maggie, Bodies, Culprits, Alex Rider, War of the Worlds, Van der Valk, Treadstone, A Discover of Witches, Hanna, Electric Dreams – The Hood Maker, King Charles III, Overlord, Black Noise. His theatre credits include London Tide, John, Cleansed (National Theatre), Love and Other Acts of Violence (Donmar Warehouse), Blue Water, Cold and Fresh, A Thousand Stars Explode in The Sky (Lyric Hammersmith), The Cherry Orchard (Young Vic), Richard III, Boys, The Glass Menagerie (Headlong), Glass, Kill, Bluebeard, Imp, The Woods (Royal Court), Dealing with Clair (Orange Tree Theatre), Oil (Almeida Theatre).
The full company comprises; Emily Benjamin (Mariana/Francisca), Isis Hainsworth (Isabella), Valentine Hanson (Friar Peter), Oli Higginson (Claudio), Adam James (Duke Vincentio), Miya James (Juliet/Angelo’s Assistant), Natasha Jayetileke (Provost), Kaffe Keating (Camera Operator), Douggie McMeekin (Lucio), Tom Mothersdale (Angelo), Sion Pritchard (Escalus), Katie Singh (Camera Operator) and John Vernon (Barnardine). Director, Emily Burns returns to the RSC following the success of her production of Love’s Labour’s Lost which opened Tamara Harvey and Daniel Evans’ inaugural season in 2024. Her previous theatre credits include Dear Octopus and Jack Absolute Flies Again at the National Theatre, Reykjavik at the Hampstead Theatre, and The Book of Dust - La Belle Sauvage (co-director), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (associate director) and Julius Caesar (associate director) at the Bridge Theatre.
Talking about the production Emily said: “Measure for Measure is four hundred years old, yet shockingly modern. In this version, the psychological thriller at the heart of the play is tuned to its highest frequency - savage, uncompromising, heart-racing. This company are ferociously talented, ruthlessly incisive and completely exhilarating to watch on stage - I’m delighted to be working with a cast of such wit, drive and audacity.”
Joining Emily on the creative team are Set and Costume Designer Frankie Bradshaw, Lighting Designer Joshua Pharo, Composer Asaf Zohar, Sound Designer Christopher Shutt, Movement and Intimacy Director James Cousins, Video Designer Zakk Hein and Casting Director Charlotte Sutton CDG.
For more press information please contact:
Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare
Directed by Emily Burns
Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Saturday 13 September – Saturday 25 October
Press Night: Tuesday 23 September 2025, 7pm
BOX OFFICE: rsc.org.uk, 01789 331111
‘To whom should I complain? Who would believe me?’ When her brother falls foul of the state’s rigid morality laws, Isabella is sent to plead for his life. But a world of ambition and base appetite lurks behind the high idealism of public office, and soon the complex relationship between power and private citizen threatens to end her life as she knows it.
Director Talk: Monday 22 September, 5.15pm
Handheld Captioned and Chilled performance: Saturday 4 October, 1.15pm
Audio Described performances: Friday 10 October, 7.15pm and Saturday 25 October 1.15pm
Unwrapped: Saturday 11 October, 10.15 – 11.15am
Captioned and Chilled performance: Thursday 16 October, 1.15pm
Post Show Talk: Friday 17 October
Captioned performance: Wednesday 22 October, 7.15pm
The RSC is supported using public funding by Arts Council England
The work of the RSC is supported by the Culture Recovery Fund
The RSC is generously supported by RSC America
With thanks to Season Supporter Charles Holloway OBE
Measure for Measure is supported by RSC Production Circle members Serrie and Ian Meakins
RSC £10 Tickets for 14-25s supported by TikTok
The RSC Acting Companies are generously supported by The Gatsby Charitable Foundation
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 our 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. We continue this today across our three permanent theatres in Stratford – the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, the Swan Theatre and The Other Place – and indeed online and around the globe. We believe everybody’s life can be enriched by culture and creativity. Our transformative Creative Learning and Engagement programmes reach over half a million young people and adults each year. We have collaborated with generations of the very best theatre makers and we continue to nurture the talent of the future.
Arts Council England is the national development body for arts and culture across England, working to enrich people’s lives. We 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, we will invest £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. www.artscouncil.org.uk
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok's global headquarters are in Los Angeles and Singapore, and its offices include New York, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.
