The first production images have been released of Tilda Swinton in Man to Man at the Royal Court, her first stage appearance in more than 30 years, ahead of press night on 11 September 2026.
Production images have been released of Tilda Swinton in Man to Man, which is playing at the Royal Court Theatre to 24 October 2026. Press night is on Friday 11 September 2026.
The return matters more than most. Swinton first played Ella/Max at the Traverse Theatre and then the Royal Court more than 30 years ago, and has not appeared on a stage since. Manfred Karge's play was translated from the German by Anthony Vivis and has been revised for this staging by Stephen Unwin, who also directs; the production reunites members of the original creative team, with Bunny Christie designing and Ben Ormerod on lighting.
In 1930s Germany a woman puts on her dead husband's trousers and does not take them off again. She lives as a man through war, dictatorship, hunger and humiliation, and stays alive.
The run is part of the Royal Court's 70th anniversary season, and it is the first leg of a long journey. The production goes on to the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh - the house that produced the original UK premiere before it came to Sloane Square in 1987 - from 29 October to 7 November 2026. It then transfers to the Berliner Ensemble, Karge's own theatre, opening there on 9 February 2027, and finishes in New York in spring 2027, with details to follow.
The rest of the creative team is sound designer Elena Peña, projection designer Matt Powell, movement director Kane Husbands, design associate Verity Sadler, props supervisor Lily Mollgaard, associate director Eleanor Burke and voice by Hazel Holder. The production is presented by the Royal Court Theatre, the Berliner Ensemble and Brian and Dayna Lee.
The images are by Ruediger Glatz. Tickets for the Royal Court run are on sale at Man to Man, where seats start at £30.
