We're pleased to announce the professional cast for our major new production of Romeo and Juliet, opening Salisbury International Festival 2026 and marking the 50th anniversary of Salisbury Playhouse.

Directed by Wiltshire Creative Artistic Director Gareth Machin, this ambitious, immersive walkabout production transforms the Playhouse into the Capulet Mansion, with audiences moving through backstage, indoor and outdoor spaces as the story unfolds.

Leading the company are Will Fletcher (Dear England) as Romeo and Grace Wylde (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, TINA – The Tina Turner Musical) as Juliet. They are joined by Patrick Fusco as Paris, Shaniya Hira as Tybalt, Benjamin Lafayette (Stranger Things: The First Shadow) as Benvolio and Mark Springer (Henry V, Macbeth) as Lord Capulet.

We are also very happy to welcome back a number of familiar faces to Salisbury: Rebecca Cooper (A Chorus of Disapproval, How the Other Half Loves, Her Naked Skin) as Nurse/Prince, Alistair Cope (Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense) as Friar Laurence, Will Jennings (Dick Whittington) as Mercutio and Emilia Williams (Aladdin) as Lady Capulet.

Performed by a professional cast alongside our Stage 65 Youth Theatre and more than 100 community cast participants, the production places young people at its heart, with large-scale ensemble scenes unfolding across the building and surrounding city spaces.

As we celebrate 50 years of Salisbury Playhouse, Romeo and Juliet reimagines Shakespeare’s classic within our distinctive 1970s building – showcasing the theatre in ways audiences may never have experienced before.

Romeo and Juliet will run from 24 May – 7 June at Salisbury Playhouse as the centrepiece of Salisbury International Festival 2026.

Rebecca Cooper as Nurse/Prince

At Salisbury Playhouse: A Chorus of Disapproval, How the Other Half Loves, Her Naked Skin, Snow White and the Happy Ever After Beauty Salon.

Other Theatre includes: White Elephants (Fergus Head); Lucid (Norwich Puppet Theatre); The Miracle (National Theatre); The Waltz of the Toreadors (Chichester Festival Theatre); Shakespeare for Breakfast (Edinburgh Fringe).

Television includes:Casualty (BBC); Doctors (BBC); The Scandalous Lady W (BBC); Man Down (BBC); Birds of a Feather (ITV); The Little House (ITV); Being Human Series 1-3 (BBC); May Contain Nuts (ITV); Man in a Box (Channel 4); Medical Mavericks (BBC); Little Britain (BBC).

Film includes:Forget Me Not (Quicksilver Films).

Audiobooks include:The Imperfect Art of Caring, Meet Me at Pebble Beach, Sunshine at the Comfort Food Cafe (Harper Collins); Summerland (Bonnier Books UK); Nevertheless She Persisted (Lamplight Audio Books); Lost! The 100 Mile an Hour Dog, Sunshine at the Comfort Food Cafe (RNIB Library).

Alistair Cope as Friar Laurence

At Salisbury Playhouse: Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense.

Theatre includes:The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary (Jeremyn Street Theatre); A Gallop Through History (Platinum Jubilee Celebration); People, Places and Things (National Theatre, Wyndham’s Theatre); The Sound of Heavy Rain, Lungs (Paines Plough, Sheffield Theatres); Speaking in Tongues (Duke of York's Theatre); Grief (Old Vic New Voices); The Norman Conquests, Complicit (The Old Vic).

Film includes:Lionhead; Judy and Yardie.

Television includes: Motherland; Toast of London;Silent Witness (as recurring character Dr Sykes). You can currently see Alistair as Robin in Eastenders.

Will Fletcher as Romeo

Training: Bristol Old Vic Theatre School

Theatre includes:Dear England (National Theatre); The Girl Who Fell (Trafalgar Studio 2).

Film Includes:Ice Fall (Arclight Films); The Great Escaper; The Road Dance; Pearly White (Short Film); Conversations at Dusk (Short Film).

Television Includes: Tom Jones (ITV); Rings of Power (Amazon).

Patrick Fusco as Paris

Training: Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

Theatre includes:The Busy Body (Orange Tree Theatre); Days of Significance (Arcola Theatre).

Television includes:The Regime (HBO); Quiz (ITV).

Shaniya Hira as Tybalt

Training: Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Theatre includes: A Trial of the Witches (Tallulah Brown).

Shaniya is thrilled to be joining Salisbury Playhouse for Romeo and Juliet and is especially excited to explore Tybalt in this production.

Will Jennings as Mercutio

Training: Guildford School of Acting

At Salisbury Playhouse:Dick Whittington

Other Theatre includes:Sweet Henry V (Birmingham Rep), Starter for Ten (Bristol Old Vic/Birmingham Rep), Les Miserables (Cameron Mackintosh Ltd/West End), The Mousetrap (St Martin’s Theatre), Robin Hood (Horsham Capitol), Grease (European Tour), Sleeping Beauty (Qdos), Benidorm, The Night Pirates, Shrek The Musical (UK Tour), The Soldier’s Tale (Royal College of Music), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Broadway Theatre, Catford), Avenue Q (Ovation), The Taming of the Shrew (C Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Hart House Theatre, Toronto).

Television includes: Quacks (BBC2).

Benjamin Lafayette as Benvolio

Training: Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts

Theatre includes:Stranger Things : The First Shadow (The Phoenix Theatre); Othello, Romeo and Juliet (The Mill Theatre Dublin); Cinderella (York Theatre Royal); Creon in Medea (Mountview).

Film includes: Raheem in Raheem: Second Summer of Love (short film.

Mark Springer as Lord Capulet

Training: Manchester Metropolitan School of Television & Theatre

Theatre includes:Sing Yer Heart Out For The Lads (Chichester); The Island (The Dukes, Lancaster/Southwark Playhouse); Henry V, Troilus & Cressida, The Merchant of Venice, The Darker Face of The Earth (Royal National Theatre); Thomas More, A New Way To Please You, Believe What You Will (RSC); Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo & Juliet (Shakespeare's Globe – for the latter he played Mercutio in the first Globe tour in over 400 years). The title role in Don Juan (Citizens); King Lear (Royal Exchange Theatre/Talawa); Brutus Jones in The Emperor Jones (LOST Theatre); Chigger Foot Boys (Ovalhouse/Strongback Productions); Meet The Mukherjees (Bolton); Where The Mangrove Grows, Songs of Grace & Redemption (Theatre 503); The Chimes (Southwark Playhouse); The Suppliants (Gate); A Taste of Honey (Watford); Night & Day (Northampton).

Film includes:Kingslayer, Bull, King Lear, Sahara (Paramount); Acceptable Damage (Rebel Without A Crew).

Television includes: The Gray House, Shadow & Bone, One Night, Buried (BAFTA Best Drama), New Tricks, Dr Who, Sea of Souls, EastEnders, Holby City, Law & Order (UK), Rose & Maloney, In 2 Minds, Merchant of Venice, Doctors, Second Generation, The Bill.

Emilia Williams as Lady Capulet

Training: Guildford School of Acting

At Salisbury Playhouse:Aladdin and Stage 65 Youth Theatre Alumni

Theatre includes: The Wipers Times (London Arts Theatre and UK tour); Robinson Crusoe (Chipping Norton Theatre); Somewhere Else Entirely (The Nuffield Theatre); Jane Eyre (Rosemary Branch Theatre, London); Cox and Box: Mrs Bouncer Legacy (Stephen Joseph Theatre and Sheffield Crucible); Pride and Prejudice (Rosemary Branch Theatre, London); Mother Goose (Chipping Norton Theatre); Dirty Dancing (Piccadilly Theatre and Uk Tour); Stig of the Dump (Image Musical Theatre); Venezia!The Show (Teatro San Gallo, Venice).

Film includes:Chainbreaker (MPH Film Productions).

Television includes:Endeavour (ITV); Call The Midwife (BBC); Emmerdale (ITV).

Grace Wylde as Juliet

Training: Bird College

Theatre includes: The Boy in the Dress, Faith, Georgie the Knight (RSC); Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Palace Theatre); TINA – The Tina Turner Musical (Aldwych Theatre); The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (UK Tour); 101 Dalmatians (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre).

Television includes:Doctors; various adverts.

Grace is thankful to her supporting and loving family and friends, and her fantastic agents at Grantham Hazeldine.