AN ARK Starring Ian McKellen, Golda Rosheuvel and More Extends at The Shed
The cast also features Arinzé Kene and Rosie Sheehy.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Feb. 17, 2026
The Shed will present extension of An Ark through April 4, as the first play created for and in mixed reality continues to engage audiences in new ways.
Written by Olivier and Tony Award winner Simon Stephens, directed by UK Theatre Award winner Sarah Frankcom, and produced by mixed reality pioneer Todd Eckert, the production began on January 9 with the official opening on January 21 in The Shed’s Level 2 Gallery.
An Ark is a genre-defying production, transforming universal human experiences into a profoundly intimate, one-of-a-kind, theatrical performance by the ensemble cast of Ian McKellen, Golda Rosheuvel, Arinzé Kene, and Rosie Sheehy.
Following Kagami (2023), the first concert ever presented in mixed reality, An Ark marks Tin Drum’s return to The Shed with a new, dimensionally recorded theater experience. In this groundbreaking format, an audience of up to 200 people seated in The Shed’s Level 2 Gallery will share a performance that feels intensely intimate—where the ensemble of actors appear in a headset to speak directly to each audience member. Though the actors will not be physically present, this radical reimagining of live theater is made possible by the magic of mixed reality.
An Ark is a lyrical meditation on the human condition, traversing the span of a lifetime in just 47 immersive, affecting minutes. From the wonder of childhood and the joy of first love to the complexities of parenting and the inevitability of death, the play invites audiences into a deeply personal exploration of what it means to live, to grieve, and to connect.
