Game of Thrones: The Mad King, the stage epic prequel based on the works of George R. R. Martin, arrives at Stratford-upon-Avon's Royal Shakespeare Theater this summer. Centered on the pivotal Tourney at Harrenhal, the play will bring figures from the era to life, offering a glimpse into the events that ignited Robert’s Rebellion and led to the fall of the Targaryen dynasty in Westeros.
The Mad King is penned by Duncan Macmillan (People, Places and Things, Every Brilliant Thing) and directed by Dominic Cooke (Good, Follies, The Hollow Crown). The stage epic will not only bring iconic Game of Thrones characters to the stage, but also dramatize the legendary chapter as it comes to the Royal Shakespeare Theater.
George R.R. Martin Reveals He’ll Write More Game of Thrones Stories ‘If I Have The Time’
GRRM confirmed "there’s more stories to tell about Dunk and Egg, and their education, and what’s going to befall them in future years."
The Mad King To Open Ticket Sales Soon
The Royal Shakespeare Company has confirmed via its website that The Mad King will run as part of its 2026 season from July 20 to September 5, with priority tickets on sale from April 14. To be staged on a cross-shaped set, The Mad King will depict a chapter roughly 15 years before the beginning of Game of Thrones: the Tourney at Harrenhal, where Prince Rhaegar Targaryen emerges as the champion of the joust and crowns Lyanna Stark as the Queen of Love and Beauty, placing a crown of blue winter roses in her lap. This gesture causes a realm-consuming scandal, as Lyanna is betrothed to Robert Baratheon, while Rhaegar is husband to Elia Martell and father of her two children.
The official synopsis of The Mad King reads:
A long winter thaws in Harrenhal, and spring is promised. At a lavish banquet on the eve of a jousting tournament, lovers meet and revelers speculate about who will contend. But in the shadows, amid growing unease at the bloodthirsty actions of the realm’s merciless Mad King, dissenters from his inner circle anxiously advance a treasonous plot. Far away, the drums of battle sound. Family bonds, ancient prophecies, and the sacred line of succession will be tested in a dangerous campaign for power. Who will survive? Who will rise?
GRRM Confirmed The Game of Thrones Stage Prequel In February
Earlier this February, Martin took to his blog, Not a Blog, to announce the stage epic through a post saying, "The Mad King is Coming." He opened with the tournament’s host, Lord Walter Whent, noting that almost all the noble families, from the royal household to the Starks in the North to the Targaryens in the South, would gather at the largest castle in all the Seven Kingdoms to celebrate the nameday of Lord Whent’s maiden daughter.
Among the attendees of the play are the Mad King Aerys II Targaryen himself, his son, the prince of the realm and the heir to the throne, Rhaegar, the Starks of the North, Brandon, Eddard, and Benjen, and their only sister, Lyanna. Lyanna’s betrothed, Robert Baratheon, is also attending, as his Ser Howland Reed, who, as seen in Game of Thrones, fights alongside Eddard in the Combat at the Tower of Joy at the end of Robert's Rebellion, is also attending. Martin paints quite a vivid picture of the tourney, mentioning that he will join the audience in his own story.
Casting details for The Mad King are yet to be announced. Beyond Macmillan and Cooke, the creative team includes puppetry and movement directors Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell, with set design by Chloe Lamford, costume design by Georgia McGuinness, lighting design by Jon Clark, and music by Will Stuart. Sound design is by Tom Gibbons, casting by Amy Ball, voice and text by Jeannette Nelson, dialect coaching by Hazel Holder, while Emily Raymond serves as associate director.
The creative team also features associate puppetry and movement by Scarlet Wilderink, Francesca Roche as period dance consultant, Ti Mikkel as creative consultant, Machiko Weston as associate set designer, Alex Berry as associate costume designer, Alex Twiselton as associate sound designer, and Lenore Gallegos as assistant director. Martin serves as executive producer and creator.
Game of Thrones: The Mad King is co-produced by Simon Painter, Tim Lawson, and Mark Manuel, alongside Warner Bros. Theater Ventures for HBO, and Sir Leonard Blavatnik and Danny Cohen representing Access Entertainment.
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