An Ark

An Ark runs at Aviva Studios from 27 March to 10 April 2027, making its European debut after a run at The Shed in New York. It's billed as the world's first Mixed Reality play, and it works in a way you've probably not seen on a stage before: you watch the whole thing through Mixed Reality glasses, and the performance is a single take, so there are no breaks or scene changes to pull you out of it. The glasses bring the actors right in front of you, with the production promising close, intimate performances and unflinching eye contact.

That intimacy is where the cast comes in. Sir Ian McKellen and Golda Rosheuvel appear in 3D holographic form, sharing the space with Arinzé Kene and Rosie Sheehy, who are there in the flesh. McKellen, the 87-year-old Lord of the Rings star born in Burnley, was captured by 52 cameras filming him from multiple angles to create his hologram. He described the experience as 'more like an explosion' and said the actors relished the chance to explore a new way of acting. Rosie Sheehy, best known for her starring role in Guess How Much I Love You, called making the production 'a true adventure'.

Behind it all is Mixed Reality pioneer Todd Eckert, who created the piece with Tony Award-winning writer Simon Stephens and director Sarah Frankcom. It follows Eckert's Mixed Reality concert KAGAMI with Ryuichi Sakamoto, so this is another step in the same direction. The play runs at Aviva Studios in Manchester from 27 March to 10 April 2027.