Mixed-reality play 'An Ark' with Ian McKellen opens at the Shed

A new play, An Ark, opening at the Shed on Jan. 21, uses mixed reality to create the illusion that actors including Ian McKellen, Golda Rosheuvel, Arinzé Kene and Rosie Sheehy are speaking directly to each audience member, even though the performers are not physically present in the audience space.

Previews have already begun. Written by Simon Stephens and produced by Todd Eckert’s company Tin Drum, the piece asks audiences to wear lightweight glasses that blend the physical theatre space with digital, volumetric captures of the four performers. Eckert said mixed reality is already common in everyday life and that “feeling that connection between you as a member of the audience and the actors has never been possible before on a large scale.” Stephens described the result as “a 47-minute journey through the entirety of your own life.” The creative team tested the form at length.

Stephens began serious work on the script in 2020 and chose four performers to sustain a direct address in the second person. Director Sarah Frankcom, initially skeptical, joined after seeing Tin Drum’s previous project, Kagami, and rehearsals included performing to cameras as if they were audience members.

The technical capture involved 52 cameras in Grenoble and, Frankcom said, required a software solution so the characters’ eyes would meet the viewer; three full runs were recorded and the team selected a final version.

Key Topics

Culture, An Ark, The Shed, Ian Mckellen, Simon Stephens, Tin Drum