Simon Godwin directs Shakespeare’s Richard II, an eloquent and ceremonious exploration of the meaning of kingship and the rising powers that can destroy it.

Ruling by divine right, but himself ruled by caprice, King Richard exiles Henry Bolingbroke and seizes his father’s vast estates. While Richard is distracted by a rebellion in Ireland, Bolingbroke returns to England, intent on recovering his rightful property and, with the support of his disgruntled peers, perhaps seizing the crown itself.

Godwin directs Richard II following productions including Man And Superman, starring Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma, and Strange Interlude at the National Theatre.