Murderer. Traitor. Villain. History has not been kind to Richard III, yet is such a reputation justified? Castle Theatre Company’s retelling invites the audience to answer that for themselves.

Did Richard always covert the crown? Did he plot against his own family? Did he kill his nephews, the Princes in the Tower? Did he poison his own wife? Shakespeare seems to think so. Yet is History ever so black and white? Can one man truly be that villainous? The Wars of the Roses was a time of plotting and betrayal, but was Richard a villain or a victim? Don’t take Shakespeare’s word for it, decide for yourself.

Shakespeare’s Richard III chronicles the bloody rise and swift fall of the Duke of Gloucester, a ruthlessly ambitious and physically deformed nobleman. Desperate for the English throne, Richard orchestrates a web of manipulation, deceit, and murder, eliminating anyone in his path—including his own brothers and young nephews, the Princes in the Tower. After seizing the crown, his tyrannical reign is short-lived. Plagued by guilt-induced nightmares and mounting rebellion, Richard faces the Earl of Richmond at the Battle of Bosworth Field. Abandoned and unhorsed, Richard is killed in battle, ending the Wars of the Roses and launching the Tudor dynasty.

£10 Standard

£9 Concession

£7 Performing Arts Members

This performance will take place at the Sir Thomas Allen Assembly Rooms Theatre, 40 N Bailey, Durham, DH1 3ET.