We've staged Shakespeare's Twelfth Night or What You Will over a dozen times since 1960.

A man with a pale powdered face wearing three party hats and holding a glass bottle
Twelfth Night (2005) Directed by Michael Boyd. Designed by Tom Piper.
Photo by Ellie Kurttz © RSC Browse and license our images

1960 Peter Hall production

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon and Aldwych, London

Creatives: Lila De Nobili (design); Michael Northen (lighting); Raymond Leppard (music)

Cast: Dorothy Tutin (Viola), Barbara Barnett/Geraldine McEwan (Olivia), Derek Godfrey (Orsino), Eric Porter (Malvolio), Patrick Wymark (Sir Toby Belch), Max Adrian (Feste), Ian Richardson/Richard Johnson (Aguecheek), Frances Cuka/Patsy Byrne (Maria), Ian Holm (Sebastian), Dinsdale Landen/Clive Swift (Fabian), Christopher Cruise (Curio), David Sumner (Valentine), Clifford Rose, Clive Swift, Philip Voss (Gentlemen/Sailors)

1966 Clifford Williams production

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon

Creatives: Sally Jacobs (design); John Bradley (lighting); Guy Woolfenden (music)

Cast: Diana Rigg (Viola), Estelle Kohler (Olivia), Alan Howard (Orsino), Ian Holm (Malvolio), Brewster Mason (Sir Toby Belch), Norman Rodway (Feste), David Warner (Aguecheek), Patsy Byrne (Maria), Christopher Bidmead (Sebastian), Tim Wylton (Fabian), Phillip Hilton (Curio), John Bell (Valentine), Frances de la Tour (Courtier)

1969 John Barton production

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, Aldwych, London (1971), international tour

Creatives: Christopher Morley (design); John Bradley (lighting); Michael Tubbs (music adaptation)

Cast: Judi Dench (Viola), Lisa Harrow (Olivia), Thomas Charles/Richard Pasco (Orsino), Donald Sinden/Derek Godfrey (Malvolio), Bill Fraser/Leslie Sands/Tony Church (Sir Toby Belch), Emrys James (Feste), Barrie Ingham/Jeffery Dench (Aguecheek), Brenda Bruce/Elizabeth Spriggs (Maria), Gordon Reid (Sebastian), Peter Geddis/Alton Kumalo (Fabian), Morgan Sheppard (Antonio), Roger Rees (Curio), Myles Hoyle/Miles Anderson (Valentine)

1974 Peter Gill production

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon and Aldwych, London

Creatives: William Dudley (design); Rory Dempster (lighting)

Cast: Jane Lapotaire (Viola), Mary Rutherford (Olivia), John Price (Orsino), Nicol Williamson (Malvolio), David Waller (Sir Toby Belch), Ron Pember (Feste), Frank Thornton (Aguecheek), Patricia Hayes (Maria), Robert Lloyd (Sebastian), Brian Hall (Fabian), Louis Sheldon (Curio), Walter McMonagle (Valentine)

1978 John Amiel touring production

Creatives: John Napier (design); Brian Harris (lighting); Henry Ward (music)

Cast: Emily Richard (Viola), Suzanne Bertish (Olivia), Edward Petherbridge (Orsino), Bob Peck (Malvolio), Ian McKellen (Sir Toby Belch), Christopher Hancock (Feste), Roger Rees (Aguecheek), Bridget Turner (Maria), Jeremy Blake (Sebastian), Clyde Pollitt (Fabian), Patrick Godfrey (Antonio), Griffith Jones (Sea Captain/Priest), Alec Wallis (Curio), Clyde Pollitt (Valentine)

1979 Terry Hands production

Aldwych, London

Creatives: John Napier (design); Terry Hands (lighting); Guy Woolfenden (music)

Cast: Cherie Lunghi (Viola), Kate Nicholls (Olivia), Gareth Thomas (Orsino), John Woodvine (Malvolio), Willoughby Goddard (Sir Toby Belch), Geoffrey Hutchings (Feste), John McEnery (Aguecheek), Jane Downs (Maria), Stephen Rashbrook (Sebastian), Norman Tyrrell (Fabian), Roger Bizley (Antonio)

1983 John Caird production

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon and Barbican, London

Creatives: Robin Don (design); David Hersey (lighting); Ilona Sekacz (music)

Cast: Zoë Wanamaker (Viola), Sarah Berger/Joanne Pearce (Olivia), Miles Anderson (Orsino), Emrys James (Malvolio), Stephen Moore (Sir Toby Belch), Richard O'Callaghan (Feste), Daniel Massey (Aguecheek), Gemma Jones (Maria), Nigel Cooke (Sebastian), Stanley Page (Fabian), Graham Sinclair (Antonio), Derek Smee (Curio), Griffith Jones (Valentine)

1987 Bill Alexander production

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon and Barbican, London

Creatives: Kit Surrey (sets), Deirdre Clancy (costumes); Robert Bryan (lighting); Guy Woolfenden, Alessandro Piccinini, Johann Kapsberger (music)

Cast: Harriet Walter (Viola), Deborah Findlay (Olivia), Donald Sumpter (Orsino), Antony Sher/John Carlisle (Malvolio), Roger Allam (Sir Toby Belch), Bruce Alexander (Feste), David Bradley (Aguecheek), Pippa Guard (Maria), Paul Spence (Sebastian), Jim Hooper (Fabian), Paul Webster (Antonio), Jeremy Gilley (Curio), David Pullan (Valentine)

1991 Griff Rhys Jones production

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon

Creatives: Ultz (design); Mick Hughes (lighting); Ilona Sekacz (music)

Cast: Sylvestra Le Touzel (Viola), Jane Gurnett (Olivia), Terence Hillyer (Orsino), Freddie Jones (Malvolio), Bill Wallis (Sir Toby Belch), Ken Wynne (Feste), Tim McInnerny (Aguecheek), Linda Marlowe (Maria), Ian Hughes (Sebastian), Albie Woodington (Fabian), Gary Powell (Antonio), Stephen Webber (Curio), Christopher Luscombe (Valentine)

1994 Ian Judge production

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, Barbican, London (1995) and UK tour

Creatives: John Gunter (sets), Deirdre Clancy (costumes); David Hersey (lighting); Nigel Hess (music)

Cast: Emma Fielding/Emily Joyce (Viola), Haydn Gwynne/Abigail Cruttenden (Olivia), Clive Wood/Jack Ellis (Orsino), Desmond Barrit/Edward Petherbridge (Malvolio), Tony Britton/Bernard Lloyd (Sir Toby Belch), Derek Griffiths/Paul Greenwood (Feste), Bille Brown/Guy Henry (Aguecheek), Joanna McCallum/Dilys Laye (Maria), Robert Bowman/Christopher Hollis (Sebastian), Robert Gillespie (Fabian), Steven Elliott/Richard Dillane (Antonio), Gwynn Beech (Curio), Glenn Hugill (Valentine)

1997 Adrian Noble production

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon

Creatives: Anthony Ward (design); Chris Parry (lighting); Jason Carr (music)

Cast: Helen Schlesinger (Viola), Clare Holman (Olivia), Scott Handy (Orsino), Philip Voss (Malvolio), David Calder (Sir Toby Belch), Stephen Boxer (Feste), John Quayle (Aguecheek), Susan Tracy (Maria), Simon Scardifield (Sebastian), Malcolm Scates (Fabian), Rob Edwards (Antonio), Emma Handy (Lady), Griffith Jones (Priest)

2001 Lindsay Posner production

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon and Barbican, London

Creatives: Ashley Martin-Davis (design); Pat Collins (lighting); Gary Yershon (music)

Cast: Zoë Waites (Viola), Matilda Ziegler (Olivia), Jo Stone-Fewings (Orsino), Guy Henry (Malvolio), Barry Stanton (Sir Toby Belch), Mark Hadfield (Feste), Christopher Good (Aguecheek), Alison Fiske (Maria), Ben Meyjes (Sebastian), Wayne Cater (Fabian), Joseph Mydell (Antonio), Victoria Duarri (Maid)

2005 Michael Boyd production

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon and Novello Theatre, London

Creatives: Tom Piper (design); Vince Herbert (lighting); John Woolf, Sianed Jones (music)

Cast: Kananu Kirimi (Viola), Aislín McGuckin (Olivia), Barnaby Kay (Orsino), Richard Cordery (Malvolio), Nicky Henson/Clive Wood (Sir Toby Belch), Forbes Masson (Feste), John Mackay (Aguecheek), Meg Fraser (Maria), Gurpreet Singh (Sebastian), Peter Bygott (Fabian), Neil McKinven (Antonio), Alan Morrissey (Curio), Kevin Trainor (Valentine), Christopher Obi (Sea Captain), Eke Chukwu (Attendant), Barrie Palmer (Officer), Christopher Robert (Priest), Sally Tatum (Maid)

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