HomeArts & Lifestyle80 venues announced for Sir Ian McKellen's 80th birthday UK theatre tour

80 venues announced for Sir Ian McKellen’s 80th birthday UK theatre tour

Sir Ian McKellen will next year embark on an 80 stage mission to raise funds across UK theatres to celebrate his 80th birthday.

Kicking off in January 2019 with a tour of London, from the National Theatre to the Theatre Royal Stratford East. Then, across the country, he will visit theatres large and small with which he has personal connections, including amateur groups he knew as a child and notable playhouses he has played in as a professional actor over the last half-century.

All profits will benefit specific causes at each theatre. His intimate show is a mixture of anecdotes and acting, including Tolkien, Shakespeare, others…and the audience.

Sir Ian McKellen said, ‘I’m celebrating my 80th birthday by touring a new solo show to theatres I know well and a few that I don’t. The show starts with Gandalf and will probably end with an invitation to act with me on stage. In-between there will be anecdotes and acting. I open at my local arts centre in January and end up by August in Orkney.

‘Live theatre has always been thrilling to me, as an actor and in the audience. Growing up in Lancashire, I was grateful to those companies who toured beyond London and I’ve always enjoyed repaying that debt by touring up and down the country myself, with the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Prospect Theatre, the Actors’ Company, as well as with commercial productions. Sean Mathias, the director and I have worked together for stage and screen, many happy times.’

For further information and tour map, please see the website for more details: www.ianonstage.co.uk

Tour dates and venue information:

25-26 January 2019 | The Space 269 Westferry Road, Isle of Dogs, London E14 3RS

28 January 2019 | National Theatre, Lyttleton Upper Ground, Lambeth, London SE1 9PX

30 January 2019 | Young Vic 66 The Cut, Waterloo, London SE1 8LZ

3 February 2019 | Bridge Theatre 3 Potters Fields Park, London SE1 2SG

4 February 2019 | Richmond Theatre Little Green, Richmond, London TW9 1QJ

6 February 2019 | Above The Stag Theatre 72 Albert Embankment, Lambeth, London SE1 7TP

10 February 2019 | Hampstead Theatre Eton Ave, London NW3 3EU

11 February 2019 | Arts Theatre 6-7 Great Newport St, London WC2H 7JB

12-13 February 2019 | Theatre Royal Windsor 32 Thames St, Windsor SL4 1PS

17 February 2019 | The Old Vic The Cut, Lambeth, London SE1 8NB

19-20 February 2019 | Bristol Old Vic King Street, Bristol BS1 4ED

22 February 2019 | Royal Court Theatre Sloane Square, Chelsea London SW1W 8AS

24-25 February 2019 | The Queen’s Theatre Billet Ln, Hornchurch, London RM11 1QT

26 February 2019 | Jerwood Vanbrugh Theatre, RADA 62-64 Gower Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 6ED [SPECIAL PERFORMANCE FOR STUDENTS: NOT ON SALE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC]

1 March 2019 | Donmar Warehouse 41 Earlham St, London WC2H 9LX [SPECIAL PERFORMANCE FOR YOUNG+FREE MEMBERS: NOT ON SALE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC]

3 March 2019 | Lyric Hammersmith Lyric Square, King St, Hammersmith, London W6 0QL

4 March 2019 | The Questors, Judi Dench Playhouse 12 Mattock Ln, Ealing, London W5 5BQ

7 March 2019 (Mat & Eve) | Duke of York’s Theatre St Martin’s Lane, London WC2N 4BG

8-9 March 2019 | Ipswich New Wolsey Civic Dr, Ipswich IP1 2AS

10 March 2019 | Theatre Royal Stratford East Gerry Raffles Square, London E15 1BN

13 March 2019 | Swansea Grand Theatre Singleton St, Swansea SA1 3QJ

14-15 March 2019 | Aberystwyth Arts Centre Aberystwyth University, Penglais Campus, Aberystwyth SY23 3DE

16 March 2019 | The Hafren Llanidloes Rd, Newtown, Powys SY16 4HU

18-19 March 2019 |Theatr Clwyd Raikes Ln, Mold CH7 1YA

24 March 2019 | Theatre Royal Bath Saw Close, Bath BA1 1ET

29-30 March 2019 | Maddermarket Theatre St Johns Alley, Norwich NR2 1DR

2 April 2019 | The Leas Cliff Hall The Leas, Folkestone, Kent CT20 2DZ

5 April 2019 | Chichester Minerva Theatre Oaklands Park, Chichester PO19 6AP

12-13 April 2019 | Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds Westgate St, Bury St Edmunds IP33 1QR

14 April 2019 | Royal & Derngate 19-21 Guildhall Rd, Northampton NN1 1DP

17-18 April 2019 | Colchester Mercury Mercury Theatre, Balkerne Gate , Colchester CO1 1PT

20 April 2019 | Belgrade Theatre Coventry Belgrade Square, Corporation St, Coventry CV1 1GS

24-25 April 2019 | Norwich Playhouse 42 – 58 St Georges St, Norwich NR3 1AB

27-28 April 2019 | King’s Lynn Shakespeare Festival St George’s Guildhall, 29 King St, Kings Lynn PE30 1HA

30 April – 1 May 2019 | Oxford Playhouse 11-12 Beaumont St, Oxford OX1 2LW

3-4 May 2019 | Jersey Opera House 3 Gloucester St, St. Helier, Jersey JE2 3QR

6 May 2019 | Aylesbury Waterside Theatre Exchange St, Aylesbury HP20 1UG

7-8 May 2019 | Cheltenham Everyman Theatre 7 – 10 Regent St, Cheltenham GL50 1HQ

10-11 May 2019 | Cambridge Arts Theatre 6 St Edward’s Passage, Cambridge CB2 3PJ

13-14 May 2019 | Wigan Little Theatre 44 Crompton St, Wigan WN1 3SL

15 May 2019 | The Forum Theatre The Precinct, Romiley, Stockport SK6 4EA

17-18 May 2019 | Liverpool Playhouse Williamson Square, Liverpool L1 1EL

19 May 2019 | Warwick Arts Centre University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL

20 May 2019 | Blackpool Grand 33 Church St, Blackpool FY1 1HT

23 May 2019 | Burnley Youth Theatre Queen’s Park Rd, Burnley BB10 3LB

25 May 2019 | The Albert Halls Theatre Victoria Square, Bolton BL1 1RU

28 May 2019 | The Dukes Moor Lane, Lancaster LA1 1QE

31 May 2019 | Buxton Opera House Water St, Buxton SK17 6XN

1-2 June 2019 | Curve Theatre, Studio 60 Rutland St, Leicester LE1 1SB

3 June 2019 | Sheffield Crucible 55 Norfolk St, Sheffield S1 1DA

4 June 2019 | Theatre Royal Wakefield Drury Ln, Wakefield WF1 2TE

5-6 June 2019 | HOME Manchester 2 Tony Wilson Place, Manchester M15 4FN

9 June 2019 | Forum Theatre Billingham Queensway, Stockton-on-Tees TS23 2LJ

11 June 2019 | The Civic Hanson St, Barnsley S70 2HZ

12 June 2019 | CAST Waterdale, Doncaster DN1 3BU

14 June 2019 | The Georgian Theatre Royal Victoria Rd, Richmond, Yorkshire DL10 4DW

16 June 2019 | Hull New Theatre Kingston Square, Hull HU1 3HF

17 June 2019 | Grand Opera House Clifford St, York YO1 9SW

21-22 June 2019 | Birmingham Repertory Theatre Broad St, Birmingham B1 2EP

25-26 June 2019 | Nottingham Playhouse Wellington Circus, Nottingham NG1 5AF

27-28 June 2019 | Cardiff New Theatre Park Pl, Cardiff CF10 3LN

1 July 2019 | Northcott Theatre Stocker Rd, Exeter EX4 4QB

2 July 2019 | Lighthouse, Poole’s Centre For The Arts, 21 Kingland Rd, Poole BH15 1UG

3 July 2019 | Marine Theatre Church St, Lyme Regis DT7 3QA

5 July 2019 | The Watermill Theatre Bagnor, Newbury RG20 8AE

15-19 July 2019 | Theatre Royal Brighton New Rd, Brighton BN1 1SD

21 July 2019 | Royal Shakespeare Theatre & Swan Theatre Waterside, Stratford-upon-Avon CV37 6BB

25-26 July 2019 | Lyric Theatre 55 Ridgeway St, Belfast BT9 5FB

27 July 2019 | Waterside Theatre Glendermott Rd, Derry/ Londonderry BT47 6BG

29 July 2019 | The Braid Arts Centre 1-29 Bridge Street, Ballymena BT43 5AE

31 July – 1 August 2019 | Theatre at the Mill Carnmoney Rd N, Mossley Mill, Newtonabbey BT36 5QA

9 August 2019 | Dundee Rep Theatre Tay Square, Dundee DD1 1PB

11 August 2019 | Pitlochry Festival Theatre Port Na Craig, Pitlochry PH16 5DR

12 August 2019 | Eden Court Bishops Rd, Inverness IV3 5SA

14 August 2019 | Aberdeen Tivoli 34-48 Guild St, Aberdeen AB11 6NB

18 August 2019 | Newcastle Theatre Royal 100 Grey St, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 6BR

20 August 2019 | Theatre by the Lake Lakeside, Lake Rd, Keswick CA12 5DJ

22-25 August 2019 | Edinburgh International Festival at Assembly Hall, Mound Pl, Edinburgh EH1 2LU

28 August 2019 | The Orkney Theatre Kirkwall Grammar School, The Meadows, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1QN

15 September 2019 | National Theatre, Olivier Upper Ground, Lambeth, London SE1 9PX

Angela Johnson
Angela Johnson
Angela is Theatre Editor at Entertainment Focus. A journalist and writer, she's a 'plastic' scouser now living in London. She loves absorbing all 'the arts' the capital has to offer, especially live comedy.

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