A Targaryen drama heads to Stratford

Game of Thrones: The Mad King, the stage epic prequel based on George R. R. Martin’s work, is coming to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon this summer. The production turns its attention to the Tourney at Harrenhal, a key event in Westerosi history that helped set the stage for Robert’s Rebellion and the collapse of the Targaryen dynasty. Because one royal gathering apparently was not enough trouble.

The play is written by Duncan Macmillan, known for People, Places and Things and Every Brilliant Thing, and directed by Dominic Cooke, whose credits include Good, Follies, and The Hollow Crown.

Dates, tickets, and the story it will tell

The Royal Shakespeare Company says the play will run as part of its 2026 season from July 20 through September 5. Priority ticket sales begin April 14.

The production will be staged on a cross-shaped set and is set roughly 15 years before the events of Game of Thrones. At its center is the Tourney at Harrenhal, where Prince Rhaegar Targaryen wins the joust and crowns Lyanna Stark as the Queen of Love and Beauty, placing blue winter roses in her lap. The moment becomes a full-blown scandal because Lyanna is promised to Robert Baratheon, while Rhaegar is married to Elia Martell and already has two children with her.

The official synopsis describes a thawing winter at Harrenhal, a banquet on the eve of the tournament, and a court full of speculation about the joust. Behind the celebration, unrest is building around the Mad King’s violent rule, while members of his own circle quietly move ahead with a treasonous plot. Far away, war drums are already sounding. The play promises to test family ties, prophecies, and the line of succession in a struggle for power. In other words, the family reunion is going exactly as expected.

Martin announced the project in February

Martin first revealed the stage epic on his blog in February, writing, "The Mad King is Coming." In that post, he introduced the setting through Lord Walter Whent, whose nameday celebration brings together nearly every major noble house, from the royal family to the Starks of the North and the Targaryens of the South, at the largest castle in the Seven Kingdoms.

Among the figures expected to appear are Aerys II Targaryen, his son and heir Rhaegar, the Stark siblings Brandon, Eddard, Benjen, and Lyanna, along with Lyanna’s betrothed, Robert Baratheon. Howland Reed is also part of the gathering. Martin noted that he will be part of the audience in his own story, which is a neat trick if you can get away with it.

Creative team and production details

Casting has not yet been announced.

Beyond Macmillan and Cooke, the creative team includes:

  • Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell, puppetry and movement directors
  • Chloe Lamford, set design
  • Georgia McGuinness, costume design
  • Jon Clark, lighting design
  • Will Stuart, music
  • Tom Gibbons, sound design
  • Amy Ball, casting
  • Jeannette Nelson, voice and text
  • Hazel Holder, dialect coaching
  • Emily Raymond, associate director

Additional creative roles include:

  • Scarlet Wilderink, associate puppetry and movement
  • Francesca Roche, period dance consultant
  • Ti Mikkel, creative consultant
  • Machiko Weston, associate set designer
  • Alex Berry, associate costume designer
  • Alex Twiselton, associate sound designer
  • Lenore Gallegos, assistant director

Martin is credited as creator and executive producer.

The production is co-produced by Simon Painter, Tim Lawson, and Mark Manuel, alongside Warner Bros. Theater Ventures for HBO, plus Sir Leonard Blavatnik and Danny Cohen for Access Entertainment.