Overview
- The Royal Shakespeare Company announced on Thursday that Sharon D. Clarke has been diagnosed with cancer and will begin treatment, prompting the postponement of the Swan Theatre run that had been scheduled for 13 February–3 April 2027.
- RSC co-artistic directors said Clarke’s casting is integral to Monique Touko’s reimagining of Othello, and the company postponed the run to give her time and space for treatment.
- Clarke thanked the RSC and supporters in a public statement, saying the production will be her “north star” during treatment and referencing support from her family and her wife, Susie McKenna.
- Ticket-holders for the affected run will receive automatic refunds, and the RSC says it will announce replacement programming for the February–April slot in due course.
- Touko’s adaptation is a movement- and music-led retelling set in a climate-threatened future that centers a Black lesbian lead and examines misogynoir, and the RSC said it hopes to revisit the project with Clarke when she is able to return.