Sir Gary Oldman and Tilda Swinton part of Royal Court’s 70th anniversary season

Sir Gary Oldman and Tilda Swinton are among the actors who will star in theatre shows making up the Royal Court’s 70th anniversary season in 2026.

The Slow Horses actor, 67, will star in and direct Samuel Beckett play Krapp’s Last Tape, which comes following his performances of the one-man play at York Theatre Royal between April 14 and May 17 this year.

Opening the performance each night is Beckett-inspired short, Godot’s To-Do List, by playwright Leo Simpe-Asante, winner of the 2025 Royal Court Young Playwrights Award.

Sir Gary said: “I’m very excited to be returning to the Royal Court with Krapp’s Last Tape and to share the stage with Leo’s wonderful play Godot’s To Do-List.

“I’m very honoured and proud to be a part of it.”

Krapp’s Last Tape, which has been performed by acclaimed actors including Sir John Hurt and Sir Michael Gambon, is a one-act one-man play that sees an old man listen to recordings of his younger self.

It will run between May 8-30 next year at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs.

Also in 2026, film star Swinton, 64, will reprise her role in Manfred Karge’s Man To Man more than 30 years after she first played Ella/Max at the Traverse Theatre and Royal Court.

For the play, Swinton will be reunited with director Stephen Unwin, who said: “I’ve developed and changed in countless ways since we first staged the play in the 1980s, but it has shaped many of my creative choices ever since.”

The play, which sees a woman from 1930s Germany impersonate her dead husband, will run from September 5 to October 24 at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs before transferring to the Berliner Ensemble, with a run in New York City in spring 2027.

Opening the year’s programme is Luke Norris’ romantic drama Guess How Much I Love You?, with Zambian space race epic The Afronauts, by Ryan Calais Cameron, bookending the programme in the final slot of 2026.

There are also productions of The Shitheads by Jack Nicholls, Monument by Rhys Warrington, John Proctor Is The Villain by Kimberly Belflower, Between The River And The Sea by Yousef Sweid and Isabella Sedlak, Are You Watching? by Georgie Dettmer, Archduke by Rajiv Joseph and Blood Of My Blood by Joy Nesbitt.

Royal Court artistic director David Byrne said: “Everybody back to ours. The Royal Court is turning 70 with the most thrilling season we could imagine. On our stages and far beyond, we’re throwing a legendary, year-long party and you’re all invited.”

Executive director Will Young added: “Our 70th anniversary isn’t just about the past – it’s a moment to direct every bit of new thinking and resource into the pipeline for the next 70 years.

“Collectively, these new projects and partners not only expand our ambitions on stage, but also represent an additional quarter of a million pounds which the Royal Court will invest every year in the future of playwriting, all dedicated to supporting new writers and developing new plays.

Tickets for all of the newly announced productions will go on sale to the general public at 12pm on November 4.