Royal Shakespeare Company Live: Henry V

Starring: Alex Hassell as Henry V

Directed by: Gregory Doran

Produced by: Royal Shakespeare Company

Henry IV is dead and Hal is King. With England in a state of unrest, he must leave his rebellious youth behind, striving to gain the respect of his nobility and people. Laying claim to parts of France and following an insult from the French
Dauphin, Henry gathers his troops and prepares for a war that he hopes will unite his country.

Director ~ Gregory Doran
Set Designer ~ Stephen Brimson Lewis
Lighting ~ Tim Mitchell
Music ~ Paul Englishby
Sound ~ Martin Slavin
Movement ~ Mike Ashcroft

Company– Henry V

Daniel Abbott - Gloucester/Monsieur le Fer
Martin Bassindale - Boy
Antony Byrne - Pistol
Sean Chapman - Exeter
Oliver Ford Davies - Chorus
Nicholas Gerard-Martin - Orleans/Bishop of Ely
Robert Gilbert - Dauphin
Alex Hassell - Henry V
Jim Hooper - Canterbury/Erpingham
Jennifer Kirby - Katherine
Jane Lapotaire - Queen Isobel
Sam Marks - Constable of France
Dale Mathurin - Bates/Bedford
Chris Middleton - Nym/Warwick/Governor of Harfleur
Evelyn Miller - Rambures/Lady-in-Waiting
Keith Osborn - Montjoy/Scroop
Sarah Parks - Mistress Quickly
Leigh Quinn - Alice
Joshua Richards - Bardolph/Fluellen
Simon Thorp - King of France
Obioma Ugoala - Grey/Gower
Andrew Westfield - Westmoreland/MacMorris
Simon Yadoo - Cambridge/Williams/Jamy

Henry V opened in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in September 2015. The Live from Stratford-upon-Avon cinema broadcast offers audiences a unique chance to see this epic story of a rebellious young man taking on the mantle of kingship.

Gregory Doran continues his exploration of Shakespeare’s History plays with Henry V performed in the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt.

Following his performance as Hal in Henry IV Parts I & II Alex Hassell returns as Henry V.

Henry V is a history play, probably written around 1599. It covers events during the Hundred Year’s War, immediately before and after the Battle of Agincourt (1415). Gregory Doran feels that the play is neither a pro or anti-war statement and instead is a social barometer of how we feel about war. The production by Laurence Olivier in 1944 was a positive clarion call to patriotism, whereas the production in 1984 with Kenneth Brannagh took place within the context of the Falklands and reflected more harshly on the realities of war.