England Holidays - Event

The Royal Shakespeare Company has visited Newcastle every year since 1977 for an extended season. In 2009, new plays at Northern Stage have equal status as the Shakespeare shows at the Theatre Royal.

Artistic director Michael Boyd's As You Like It (20-24 October) opens the season at the Theatre Royal, followed by Greg Hicks, both as Leontes and Caesar, in David Farr's The Winter's Tale (27-31 October) and Lucy Bailey's Julius Caesar (3-7 November). Young People's Shakespeare also performs The Comedy of Errors (7 November).

Over at Northern Stage Roy Williams' RSC commission Days of Significance, about our lads in Iraq, starts a major UK tour (21-24 October). Finally Ben Power's A Tender Thing is given its world première (29 October-7 November). Forbes Masson and Kathryn Hunter play older Romeo and Juliet figures.