The upcoming Off-Broadway Kenneth Branagh-led revival of King Lear, set to play The Shed beginning October 26, will become the first live theatre production to use Dolby Atmos sound. The immersive technology, frequently found in movie theatres and home surround sound setups, sends sound upward as well as outward, providing audience members with a uniquely 360º sonic immersion experience.
Branagh, who is both directing and starring in the title role, has become a supporter of the technology, primarily in his film projects. “Kenneth Branagh’s brilliant implementations of Dolby Atmos in film, like for his Oscar-winning Belfast, demonstrate the power artists have to immerse audiences in ways never before possible,” says Dolby's Head of Cinema and Group Entertainment Jed Harmsen in a statement. “We celebrate and welcome the pioneering work of the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company and The Shed, whose collaboration with Dolby will break ground in bringing Dolby Atmos to the world of stage performance and use intentional sound design to plunge audiences into the play’s universe.”
The production, which first played at Wyndham's Theatre in London, will continue through December 15. Opening night is November 14.
Branagh has formed a long career starring in Shakespeare's works since appearing in Royal Shakespeare Company's Henry V in 1984. On stage and screen, he has starred in over 15 productions of Shakespearean plays. Among the highlights are his film adaptation of Hamlet, and his immersive staging of Macbeth which played Off-Broadway's Park Avenue Armory. King Lear is only the third time Branagh has done a show in New York City.
The Off-Broadway cast will also include Mara Allen as Curan, Deborah Alli as Goneril, Raymond Anum as Burgundy, Saffron Coomber as Regan, Doug Colling as Edgar, Stefan Brennan-Healy as France, Eleanor de Rohan as Kent, Chloe Fenwick-Brown as Oswald, Joseph Kloska as Gloucester, Dylan Corbett-Bader as Edmund, Hughie O’Donnell as Cornwall, Caleb Obediah as Cornwall, Jessica Revell as Cordelia / The Fool.
The creative team includes co-directors Rob Ashford and Lucy Skilbeck, set and costume designer Jon Bausor, projection designer Nina Dunn, lighting designer Paul Keogan, sound designers and composers Ben and Max Ringham, choreographer Aletta Collins, and fight director Bret Yount. Casting directors are Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann
Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company presents the production 10 years after forming in 2013, working with international production company Fiery Angel and The Shed. KBTC also includes Judi Dench, Zoë Wanamaker, Derek Jacobi, Lily James, Richard Madden, and Rob Brydon.
Visit KingLearBranagh.com.
