RSC Production of ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL to be Broadcast on Sky Arts

The Royal Shakespeare Company’s (RSC) 2022 production of All’s Well That Ends Well will be broadcast on Sky Arts (Freeview Channel 11) on Monday 3 July at 8pm.

Originally directed for the stage by Blanche McIntyre, this contemporary production of Shakespeare’s enduring dark comedy - exploring themes of romantic fantasy, toxic masculinity and consent – ran in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon in 2022.

The cast features Rosie Sheehy as Helena, Claire Benedict as The Countess, Benjamin Westerbyas Bertram, Bruce Alexander as King of France, Jamie Wilkes as Parolles and Simon Coates as Lafew, Full casting below.

The RSC regularly films its productions for cinema or TV broadcast.  This filmed version of All’s Well That Ends Well is arguably the Company’s most ambitious stage-to-screen adaptation to date. It employs a number of innovative filming techniques, including the use of camera phones, on-stage hand-held cameras and split-screen shots. The result is to bring the audience closer to the characters’ emotional experiences, highlighting some of the play’s more uncomfortable themes. 

Blanche McIntyre, Todd MacDonald, Hayley Pepler, John Wyver are Co-screen directors; Hayley Pepler and John Wyver are Co-screen producers; and Todd MacDonald is Editor and Director of Photography.

John Wyver, Co-screen director, said: “With this innovative screen adaptation of All’s Well That Ends Well, the filming team set out to re-imagine how stage productions can be translated to the screen. While remaining grounded in Blanche’s original stage production, we extended the conventional approach to screen versions by using on-stage shooting during performances, mobile phone filming from the stage and the audience, employing chest-mounted lightweight cameras and, in the edit, introducing split-screen sequences and graphics. Our aim is to express the essence of the play and this contemporary production in a completely fresh way for today’s audiences.”

Phil Edgar-Jones OBE, Director of Sky Arts, said: “We are excited to be bringing this ground-breaking production of All’s Well That Ends Well to our audiences. It’s long been part of the Sky Arts DNA to broadcast innovative performance capture, and the brilliant team who’ve created this piece have produced something really special – I am sure Shakespeare would be bowled over.”

Rosie Sheehy was nominated for the 2023 Ian Charleson award for her role as Helena in the production, and for her role as Anne in the RSC’s 2022 production of Richard III.  Her other theatre credits include the title role in King John (RSC), Romeo and Julie (National Theatre), Oleanna (Bath Theatre Royal and The Arts Theatre West End), Anna X (The Vaults), The Wolves (Theatre Royal Stratford East), The Whale (Theatre Royal Bath), Uncle Vanya (Theatre Clwyd/Sheffield Theatres), Escape the Scaffold (Theatre 503), Strife (Chichester Festival Theatre), Bird (Royal Exchange Manchester), The Hairy Ape (The Old Vic) and Chicken (Paines Plough). 

Claire Benedict plays The Countess.  Claire’s previous RSC credits include Richard III, The Canterbury Tales, Tamburlaine the Great, Antony and Cleopatra, The Odyssey and Eastward Ho. 

Benjamin Westerby plays Bertram. His other theatre credits include Henry VI: Rebellion and Wars of the Roses (RSC), Tom, Dick and Harry (New Vic), and, whilst training at RADA: The Seagull, As You Like It, The Winter’s Tale and Twelfth Night.

Bruce Alexander plays King of France. Bruce’s extensive previous RSC credits include: Written On The Heart, Measure For Measure, All’s Well That Ends Well, The Duchess of Malfi, Three Sisters, Cymbeline, Twelfth Night and The Taming of the Shrew. TV credits include: Grantchester, Hard Cell,Gentleman Jack and Doc Martin.

Simon Coates and Jamie Wilkes play Lafew and Parolles respectively.  Simon’s previous productions for the RSC include Richard III, Coriolanus, The Merry Wives Of Windsor, Loveplay, Luminosity, The Taming Of The Shrew and The Comedy Of Errors. Jamie’s previous RSC credits include Richard III, Henry VI Part I, The Two Noble Kinsmen, The Rover, Oppenheimer, The Shoemaker's Holiday, Wendy & Peter Pan.  

Blanche McIntyre’s directing credits span the RSC, Shakespeare’s Globe, The National Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre, Donmar Warehouse, Almeida Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, Headlong Theatre, Nuffield Theatre, English Touring Theatre, Manchester Royal Exchange, among many others. Previous work for the RSC includes Titus Andronicus and The Two Noble Kinsmen.  Other recent credits include Measure for Measure and Bartholomew Fair (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse), Hymn(Almeida/Sky Arts), Botticelli In The Fire (Hampstead Theatre) and Tartuffe (National Theatre).

The full cast is: Bruce Alexander (King of France), Laila Alj (First Soldier), Micah Balfour (Older Dumain), Oscar Batterham (Lord/Second Soldier), Claire Benedict (The Countess), Sophie Cartman (Rinaldo/Duke of Florence), Callum Coates (Gentleman), Simon Coates (Lafew), Matthew Duckett (Lord/First Gentleman), Will Edgerton (Lavache), Jessica Layde (Mariana), Funlola Olufunwa (Widow), Olivia Onyehara (Diana), Ewan Orton (Lord/Escalus), Thom Petty (Second Gentleman), Joeravar Sangha (Lord), Eloise Secker (Younger Dumain), Rosie Sheehy (Helena), Jamie Wilkes (Parolles) and Benjamin Westerby (Bertram).

The stage production’s creative team: Blanche McIntyre (Director), Robert Innes Hopkins(Designer), Richard Howell (Lighting), D.J. Walde (Music), Gregory Clarke (Sound), Douglas O’Connell (Video), Asha Jennings-Grant (Movement and Intimacy) and Kate Waters (Fights).

Photo Credit: Ikin Yum (c) RSC

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