English Kings Killing Foreigners: A Dark Comedy Reconsidering Shakespeare and English Identity
Following a critically acclaimed short run at Camden People’s Theatre, English Kings Killing Foreigners transfers to Soho Theatre this autumn for a five-week engagement, from 16 September to 18 October 2025.
Devised, written, and performed by multidisciplinary artists Nina Bowers and Philip Arditti, the play is a sharp, darkly comic exploration of Shakespeare’s place within English nationalism and cultural identity today. It combines workplace comedy with a pointed interrogation of who claims ownership over England’s most iconic playwright in 2025.
Inspired by their own experiences performing in Henry V—notably at Shakespeare’s Globe in 2019 where they first met—Bowers and Arditti examine the complexities faced by non-white actors cast in traditionally white English roles. The show questions the politics of representation and the persistent tensions between reverence for tradition and the demand for inclusion in British theatre.
As Nina and Philip rehearse for a new production of Henry V, the sudden death of the white, English “national treasure” leading actor sets off a chain of events. Nina is unexpectedly cast as Henry, throwing their relationship into turmoil and highlighting the fraught intersection of identity, race, and national mythmaking on the stage.
The play moves deftly between the micro-aggressions of the rehearsal room and the brutal imagery of the Agincourt battlefield, revealing the personal and cultural costs of a national story that may no longer ring true.
English Kings Killing Foreigners invites audiences to reconsider the legacy of Shakespeare in Britain’s cultural life, asking with wry scepticism who truly belongs in the story of Englishness.
Nina Bowers is a performer and writer whose work has been seen at Shakespeare’s Globe, The Kiln Theatre, and the Barbican. Alongside acting, she creates theatre and cabaret, with a solo show and a drag king persona, Sonny Delight, known for its blend of afrofuturism and ecological themes.
Philip Arditti, a RADA-trained actor and writer, has appeared in major stage productions including the National Theatre and Shakespeare’s Globe, as well as screen roles such as Uday Hussein in House of Saddam. His writing has been published by Methuen and he has a longstanding commitment to cross-cultural theatre.
Produced by Maria Cuervo, with creative consultancy from Ellen McDougall and design by Erin Guan and Jamie Lu, the production was originally commissioned and co-produced by Camden People’s Theatre.
ENGLISH KINGS KILLING FOREIGNERS
Venue: Soho Theatre, Dean Street, London W1
Dates: Tuesday 16th September – Saturday 18th October 2025
Press Nights: Monday 22nd and Tuesday 23rd September 2025
Time: 6.45 pm [3pm Matinee performances on Saturdays]
Running time: 70 mins
Tickets: https://sohotheatre.com/events/english-kings-killing-foreigners/
Elena Leo is the Arts & Lifestyle Editor of Ikon London Magazine.
