We band of brothers

Performed at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse for the first time, Henry V draws many parallels to today's climate. In a new production that explores what it means to be English, discover a new facet of the revered warrior king. Co-produced by Headlong with Leeds Playhouse and Royal & Derngate, Northampton

What is the story?

After a long wait, Henry V finally succeeds his father to the throne, finding his country in disarray. Political tension and the fatigue of civil war have left the English dissatisfied and in need of a strong leader. But first he must win their respect and trust after a youth misspent in London's seedy Boar's Head Tavern, running amok with thieves and vagabonds. Hoping war with France will win over his people, he sets out to prove himself as a warrior king like his forbears by leading his troops into English-held Normandy to the Battle of Agincourt.

Trigger-happy and vulnerable, Henry must tread the finest of lines between gaining France - but risk losing England in the process. Shakespeare's play celebrates the famed victories of this venerable monarch, whilst keeping his flaws in plain sight.