Ian McKellen and More Will Lead Mixed Reality Play AN ARK at The Shed

An Ark, the first play created for and in mixed reality, will make its world premiere next year at The Shed. 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, An Ark is a genre-defying production, transforming universal human experiences into a profoundly intimate, one-of-a-kind, theatrical performance.

The cast will include Ian McKellen (Film: Lord of the Rings, X-Men; Stage: Richard III, Amadeus), Golda Rosheuvel (Bridgerton), Arinzé Kene (Misty, Get Up, Stand Up!), and Rosie Sheehy (Machinal, Old Vic). 

The production will run for an exclusive seven-week engagement from January 9 to March 1, 2026, in The Shed’s Level 2 Gallery (545 West 30th Street). 

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. 

“I’m interested in using the technology of mixed reality to expand the traditional forms of theater and film into something that isn’t otherwise possible—to bring us closer to the truth of ourselves through a new experience. It feels like the essential point of art in the first place. 

In An Ark, we sit face to face with actors of astonishing power in a way that is completely new. For the first time, we are invited to join the circle of human connection, with a truly magnificent intersection of cast, script, and direction,” said producer Todd Eckert. 

“We’re thrilled to collaborate once more with Tin Drum, this time to bring An Ark to life at The Shed this winter. Together, we’re pushing the boundaries of how stories are told, welcoming audiences to encounter new work where technology and theater meet, and ultimately creating a totally new experience that feels both immediate, otherworldly, and profoundly intimate,” said Alex Poots, The Shed’s artistic director.” 

“Throughout my professional life I’ve defined myself as a theater artist, and I’ve historically only ever been interested in working in the live medium. However, I’ve become very excited about how mixed reality might take an audience into a remarkable relationship with a group of actors and create completely new opportunities to experience a play and make theater. This New Medium creates a magical space for an extraordinarily intimate and mesmeric encounter with actors and story,” said director Sarah Frankcom. 

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.