After years of speculation, fans now know exactly when they can witness the downfall of House Targaryen live in person. The Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon will host the world premiere of Game of Thrones: The Mad King this summer, bringing George R.R. Martin’s bloody history of the Seven Kingdoms to a venue steeped in dramatic tradition.
Game of Thrones: The Mad King play to debut at Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Game of Thrones: The Mad King chronicles the fateful Tourney at Harrenhal, the lavish tournament that inadvertently led to Robert’s Rebellion and ended the Targaryen dynasty’s three-century rule. Duncan Macmillan adapted the script from Martin’s novels, with Dominic Cooke set to direct.
“Enter the world before. A long winter thaws in Harrenhal, and spring is promised,” reads the official synopsis. “At a lavish banquet on the eve of a jousting tournament, lovers meet and revelers speculate about who will contend. But in the shadows, amid growing unease at the blood-thirsty actions of the realm’s merciless Mad King, dissenters from his inner circle anxiously advance a treasonous plot” (via The Hollywood Reporter).
The story holds particular significance for fans of the original series. The Mad King in question is Aerys II Targaryen, father to Daenerys Targaryen and the monarch whom Jaime Lannister famously killed—earning him the moniker “Kingslayer.”
The tournament also brought together young versions of beloved characters, including Ned Stark, Robert Baratheon, and a teenage Jaime Lannister before his induction into the Kingsguard.
Martin expressed genuine surprise that his literary universe keeps expanding. “When I first wrote Game of Thrones, I never imagined that it would be anything other than a book. It was a place for my imagination to exist without limits,” he said. The author specifically praised the Royal Shakespeare Theatre as the ideal setting.
Priority tickets become available from April 14. Fans hoping to secure seats should consider Royal Shakespeare Company membership for early access.
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