There’s a tournament coming  this summer.

Lord Whent is hosting it, from his seat at Harrenhal, the largest castle in the Seven Kingdoms.  It looks to be a grand event, Rhaegar Targaren will be on hand, the Prince of Dragonstone and heir to the Iron Throne.   The Starks are coming down from Winterfell, Eddard and his brothers Brandon and Benjen and their lovely sister Lyanna.  Her betrothed will also be on hand; Robert Baratheon, the young Lord of Storm’s End.   Howland Reed of Greywater Watch will attend, fresh from his visit to the Isle of Faces.  Lord Jon Arryn will along with  Bronze Yohn Royce, Richard Lonmouth, the Kingsguard knights Jonothor Darry, Barristan Selmy, and Arthur Dayne will be among the competitors, along with Robert Baratheon, the dashing young Lord of Storm’s End, and a monstrous knight out of the Westerlands they called the Mountain That Rides.   The fairest flowers of the Seven Kingdoms will attend to cheer them on, including Ashara Dayne, with her laughing purple eyes, and the Dornish beauty Elia Martell, Prince Rhaegar’s lady wife.

Even the king will be there.   Aerys II of House Targaryen, the Mad King.

I’m planning on attending myself.

You’ve been hearing about the great tourney at Harrenhal since A GAME OF THRONES came out in 1996.   Now, at long last, we’re going to show  it to you… live, on stage, at Stratford-upon-Avon,  brought to you by the Royal Shakespeare Company.  Having  the RSC bring Westeros to the stage is so incredible that sometimes I fear  am dreaming the whole thing.   (Yes, it goes without saying that I am a huge Shakespeare fan, and will it likely surprise no one to learn that the history plays are my favorites, and none more so than those set during the Wars of the Roses).

Our creative team is incredible as well.  The  play will be adapted by award-winner Duncan Macmillan (People, Places and Things), and directed by new Almeida Theatre artistic director Dominic Cooke (Good, Follies, The Hollow Crown).  Working with them has been has been as much a thrill as it is an honor.

Duncan, Dominick, and yours truly, from my visit to Stratford-upon-Avon.

Priority tickets will go on sale April 14, and fans wishing to attend are encouraged to sign up to become a Royal Shakespeare Company member for updates.

Watch this space for further details, as plans progress.

Or you can follow our progress in the press, where we are getting plenty of coverage.

The Mad King is co-produced by Simon Painter, Tim Lawson and Mark Manuel, alongside Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures on behalf of HBO, and Sir Leonard Blavatnik and Danny Cohen for Access Entertainment.

Current Mood: excited