Olivier Award-winning actor Sharon D. Clarke has been diagnosed with cancer, prompting the Royal Shakespeare Company to postpone its upcoming production of Othello, according to an announcement by the company on Thursday, August 13.
Clarke, 60, was scheduled to star in the titular role of a radical new production at the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, which was slated to run from February 13 to April 3, 2027. According to the Royal Shakespeare Company, the production has been delayed while Clarke takes time to undergo treatment for cancer.
In a statement reported by The Independent, Clarke expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support. “I would like to thank all the beautiful people at the RSC for their understanding, love, support and healing energy,” Clarke said. “Othello will be my north star as I undergo treatment.”
Production Postponed and Ticketing Updates
The Royal Shakespeare Company announced that ticket holders for the postponed 2027 run of Othello will receive automatic refunds. A replacement production for the February 13 to April 3 window at the Swan Theatre will be announced in due course, according to the company.
Director Monique Touko, whose recent credits include Marie & Rosetta at @sohoplace and Jaja’s African Hair Braiding at the Lyric Hammersmith, shared supportive remarks regarding the delay. According to The Independent, Touko stated on behalf of the creative team, “On behalf of the entire creative team, we send Sharon all the love for her ongoing treatment and recovery.”
Touko added, “Sharon is the ultimate collaborator. Her generosity and passion for this project continues to astound me and I look forward to us coming back together when the time is right to share this production with the world.”
Reimagining Shakespeare’s Tragedy
Announced initially in July, Monique Touko’s staging of Othello was designed as a movement and music-infused production set in a climate-threatened future. According to production details reported by The Independent, the staging centers on a Black lesbian holding a seat of power and examines Shakespeare’s 400-year-old story through the lens of misogynoir, following an unsanctioned marriage that crosses boundaries of race, sex, and status.
Clarke, who received an MBE in 2017 and is a three-time Olivier Award winner, has built an extensive career across British television and theatre. Best known on television for her role as Lola Griffin in the BBC medical drama Holby City—which she played from 2005 to 2008 and reprised in 2019—she has also appeared on screen in Rocketman, Red, White and Royal Blue, and Mr Loverman. Most recently, Clarke starred as Lady Bracknell opposite Ncuti Gatwa in the National Theatre’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest.
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