The Royal Hunt of the Sun

Intent on the conquest of Peru, Spanish soldier Pizarro entices recruits with the promise of inconceivable riches, while the Church claims the cause for Christianity. The ensuing clash between two cultures leaves thousands of unarmed Inca troops slaughtered and sparks an intense battle of wills between the sun-god and his captor, as the Spaniards plunder for gold.

Peter Shaffer’s The Royal Hunt of the Sun was the first new work to be staged by the National at the Old Vic in 1964.