A Mid Wales farmer who has starred in some of the West End's biggest productions is preparing to take on one of the most prestigious roles of his career after landing a place with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Steffan Harri, from Dolanog near Welshpool, will make his Royal Shakespeare Company debut this autumn in Shakespeare's classic comedy As You Like It at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.
The 34-year-old actor, who balances life on the family farm with a successful theatre career, will appear in an all-male production directed by Royal Shakespeare Company co-artistic director Daniel Evans.
The show will be led by Tony Award-winning American actor Jonathan Groff, best known for roles in Glee, Frozen and Hamilton.
'A real privilege'
For Harri, who has already appeared in major productions including Les Misérables, Spamalot, Girl From the North Country and Children of Eden, joining the RSC represents a major career milestone.
He said: “To make my RSC debut feels incredibly significant.
“There is such a rich history attached to the company and to that stage.
Some of the greatest actors of generations past and present have worked at the RSC, so to have the opportunity to follow in those footsteps and perform Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon is a real privilege.
“Balancing an acting career with running our family farm, there have been times when a moment like this has felt a long way away.
“To now be joining the Royal Shakespeare Company is something I'm enormously proud of, and I'm really looking forward to representing home on one of the country's most historic stages.”
Sharing the stage with an international star
Harri will perform alongside Groff, who makes his own RSC debut as Rosalind.
The Broadway and screen star won a Tony Award for Merrily We Roll Along and was included in Time magazine's list of the world's most influential people earlier this year.
The production also features Olivier and Tony Award winner Richard McCabe, Fisayo Akinade, Elliot Barnes-Worrell, Greg Haiste and Gary Wilmot.
Harri will play Gwilym and Sir Osian.
Two Mid Wales performers in the cast
Harri will not be the only Mid Wales actor making an RSC debut in the production.
Bala-raised Luke McCall, another former member of Montgomeryshire-based Cwmni Theatr Maldwyn, has also joined the cast as Amiens.
McCall's theatre credits include Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies and The Man of La Mancha.
Speaking about the role, he said: “Absolutely thrilled to be a part of this amazing cast in As You Like It.”
Cwmni Theatr Maldwyn has long been recognised as a launchpad for young performing talent from across Mid Wales.
A theatrical family
Harri's success comes as his wife, West End performer Rosie Jones, continues to enjoy national recognition of her own.
Many readers will recognise Jones as the soloist with Jeremy Clarkson's Hawkstone Farmers Choir, which won Britain's Got Talent earlier this year.
The couple have built successful performing careers while maintaining strong links to Mid Wales and the farming community.
Shakespeare's beloved comedy
As You Like It follows Rosalind, who is banished from court and escapes to the Forest of Arden disguised as a young man named Ganymede.
There she encounters the lovestruck Orlando and a host of eccentric characters, leading to mistaken identities, comic misunderstandings and romance.
The production runs at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon from September 26 until November 7.
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