SIR IAN McKELLEN OPENS NEW THEATRE IN HORDEN
A new chapter for theatre in County Durham began this weekend as Sir Ian McKellen officially opened The Playhouse in Horden, the permanent home of Ensemble ’84.
The opening event brought together invited guests, artists, supporters and local residents to celebrate the transformation of a former East Durham church building into a new professional theatre space.
Sir Ian McKellen unveiled a plaque outside the building, cut the ribbon to formally open the venue, and took part in a special evening of performance. The actor performed excerpts from Shakespeare, while Ensemble ’84 presented scenes from its forthcoming production of The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet – Shakespeare’s First Quarto. The performances included some of Shakespeare’s most recognised lines and offered audiences an early glimpse into the company’s urgent new staging of the rarely performed text.
The evening also highlighted the rapid rise of Ensemble ’84, one of the UK’s newest professional theatre companies. Founded in Horden in 2024 by director Mark Dornford-May and producer Sud Basu, the company was created with a clear aim: to make theatre for, with and by the diverse communities of County Durham to share with audiences on a global stage.
Based in the former mining village of Horden, Ensemble ’84 provides paid training and professional performance opportunities for people across County Durham, many of whom had no previous route into theatre before joining the company.
Speaking during the launch, McKellen praised the ensemble model at the heart of the company’s work and described the project as “unique” and “wonderful”. He also spoke passionately about the importance of repertory theatre and long-term investment in actors and communities.
Since launching in 2024, Ensemble ’84 has quickly gained national attention for its community-rooted work and ambitious productions. Its debut production, Mother Courage and Her Children, adapted by Lee Hall and directed by Mark Dornford-May, brought together local performers with artists from South Africa’s internationally renowned Isango Ensemble. The production received critical acclaim, sold-out performances and national coverage before transferring to Newcastle’s Live Theatre.
The company later followed this with Pits, People and Players, a production built directly from stories of coal mining and community life in Horden. Due to audience demand, the production returns for a second run this summer.
Now Ensemble ’84 is preparing for its most ambitious production to date. From 26 May to 6 June 2026, the company will stage The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet – Shakespeare’s First Quarto at The Playhouse in Horden. Using the rarely performed First Quarto text of Hamlet, the production offers a shorter, urgent and highly theatrical version of Shakespeare’s tragedy.
Mark Dornford-May, Director and Artistic Director of Ensemble ’84, said:
“Hamlet remains one of the most powerful and enduring plays ever written. The First Quarto version gives us a fascinating and highly theatrical way into the story; it moves with urgency and clarity, allowing the drama to unfold with remarkable pace.
For a company like Ensemble ’84, rooted in storytelling and performance, it offers a thrilling opportunity to rediscover this extraordinary play.”
The opening of The Playhouse marks a major milestone in Ensemble ’84’s long-term commitment to Horden and County Durham. Alongside future productions, the venue will provide a permanent home for training, workshops, rehearsal space and community activity.
For Ensemble ’84, the project continues to demonstrate that world-class theatre can be created anywhere, and that communities too often overlooked can become places of major cultural ambition.