William Shakespeare's

Richard II

Writer
William Shakespeare

Director
Nathan Crossan-Smith

Venue
The Sainsbury Theatre

Dates
Tuesday 8 December 7:30pm
Wednesday 9 December 7:30pm

About the show

“For heaven’s sake let us sit upon the ground 
And tell sad stories of the death of kings.” 

The King has gone too far. He’s seizing land, spending the profits on reckless wars and has banished Bolingbroke from England. Easily led astray by the desires of his friends, Richard’s recklessness is provoking treason with every bad decision he makes. 

Returning from battle he discovers his court populated by plots. Friends gone, either dispersed or dead, Richard realises that there is only one option left open to him. 

After his marriage in 1582 there is little documentation available surrounding Shakespeare’s life until 1592 when he began writing his first plays in London. At the time the theatre community in London was viewed as licentious and a place of debauchery. This degenerate atmosphere is captured in his earlier works, mostly comedies centred on young men and their trials and tribulations in love. Shakespeare was believed to have written King Richard the Second in approximately 1595 – late in the reign of the childless Elizabeth I of England, when issues around the succession were of great political concern.

Nathan’s directing credits for LAMDA includes: Half Blue by Ava Wong Davies (Audible x LAMDA), Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, Hurricane Protest Songs (Graeae x LAMDA).

Other directing credits include: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (Orange Tree), 140 bpmSpace to Create (National Theatre Learning), Feather by Feather by Sonali Bhattacharyya (Old Vic New Voices), Before it Rains by Thea Gajic; Like the Water (National Youth Theatre), 20 Stories of HomeGender Re:mixed (20 Stories High), Sticks and Stones (Arts Ed), At Any One Time… by Titilola Dawudu (Ovalhouse), Kids Company Showcase (Critereon Theatre), The Coat of Two Colours (Royal College of Music).

Directing as associate and assistant director includes: You Can Save Me (Hydrocracker), Strangers on a Train Set (Lipservice National Tour), Operation Black Antler (Blast Theory x Hydrocracker at Southbank Centre), Gratitude (Rachel Baghshaw RD at NT Studio).

Directing for film includes: Before the Flame Goes Out (Hydrocracker and Raymond Antrobus), What Do You See? (ODD Arts).

Film as second AD: Bloodyminded (Blast Theory, 14-18 NOW), A Place Free of Judgement (Blast Theory).

Projects as visiting artist (lyricism): DreamscapeFire In The Youth (National Theatre Wales).

Workshop leading as director/lyrical artist: LAMDA Widening Access, Royal Court, Gate, Synergy, Contact, Blast Theory and Young Vic and London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Nathan is co-director for Hydrocracker Theatre, a National Theatre Connections mentor director and an associate artist for National Youth Theatre.

He runs the youth justice project Tipping Point.

Nathan trained on LAMDA’s postgraduate directing course.

He won the Deutsche Bank Award for Dramatic Art in 2014, he was JMK runner up in 2017, and a Genesis Award finalist in 2019.

Photos: Sam Taylor

Creative team

Director
Nathan Crossan-Smith

Assistant Director
Philip Leone Ganado

Set and Costume Designer
Katherina Radeva

Lighting Designer
Rajiv Pattani

Assistant Lighting Designer
Rory Zammit
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Sound Designer
Oliver Vibrans

Assistant Sound Designer
Sam Maslin

Vocal Coach
Daniele Lydon

Movement Director
Chi-San Howard

Cast

Ross, Squire B
Niyi Akin

Willougby, Earl Salisbury, Lord Marshal, Servant 3
Iwan Bond

Bushy, Abbot of Westminster
Harry Cadby

Queen Isabella, Duke of Surrey
Amy Darton

Duchess of Gloucester, Duchess of York, Squire M, Gardener
Florence Guy

York
Gruff Harries

Aumerle
Alfie Jones

Bolingbroke
Caroline Letelier

Harry Percy, Exton, Herald 2, Servant 1
Ross McShane

John of Gaunt, Servant 3
Daniel Morris

Bishop of Carlisle, Herald 1
Alistair Nwachukwu

King Richard
Dan Rock

Green, Welsh Captain, Servant 2
Joshua Rogers

Northumberland
Kieran Taylor-Ford

Mowbray, Bagot
Piper Zbryski-Livingstone

Production team

Production Manager
Tiago Stricker

Company Manager
Lucy Bailey

Stage Manager
Waverley Moran

Deputy Stage Manager
Millie Swinchin Rew

Assistant Stage Manager
Fintan Beirne
Claudia Penna Rojas

Chief LX
Luca Panetta

Deputy LX / Programmer
Amy Hill

Lighting Crew
Alyssia Jones
Murong Li
Tom McCreadie
Calum Priestley
Ewen Roberts
Tom Smith
Marie Zschommler

Production Sound Engineer
Daiva Aleksiunaite

Sound Assistants
Sophia Markou
Callum Watson

Production Carpenter
Gabriel McIvor

Deputy Carpenter
Ruth Burgon

Construction Crew
Rob Brown
Michael Fleming
Daisy Simmons
Sam Tate

Wardrobe Supervisor
Lesley Read