Ian McKellen to star in UK premiere of ‘mixed reality’ play – but not in person

Key points

• Ian McKellen will star in An Ark, a mixed reality play, at Manchester's Aviva Studios.
• Audiences wear smart glasses that project filmed actors into the room.
• The 47-minute play runs from 27 March to 10 April next spring.

Ian McKellen will star in the UK premiere of An Ark, a mixed reality play coming to Manchester next spring. The veteran actor will not appear on stage in person.

The play, which debuted in New York earlier this year, will run at Aviva Studios from 27 March to 10 April. Theatregoers will be asked to wear smart glasses that project the actors into the room.

How the technology works

John McGrath, chief executive of Factory International, which is putting on the play, said mixed reality shows both virtual elements and the real world around you. He said it differs from virtual reality, which uses goggles that exclude physical reality, because these glasses project into the space while still showing the real world.

Asked whether McKellen would have a physical role, McGrath said his virtual presence will be there and he may visit, but audiences will not see the real Ian McKellen performing. McGrath said paying to see actors who are not there in the flesh is no different from watching a film in a cinema.

Mixed reality is when you see both the virtual elements of an experience and also the real world around you.

— John McGrath

Production and future plans

The 47-minute production is described as an exploration of life and death, in which actors share stories about life, connection and grief. Four actors, including McKellen, were filmed by 52 cameras in one take at a studio in Grenoble, France, appearing seated before the viewer as if putting on a private show.

Factory International plans public events on the future and ethics of the technology. Its 2027 programme, marking 20 years of the organisation, includes a new production of Philip Glass's opera Einstein on the Beach.