Ian McKellen to embark on 80 venue tour to celebrate 80th birthday

Ian McKellen is set to embark on a mammoth 80 venue tour across the country, taking in a number of different theatres in London, as he marks his 80^th birthday.

Beginning in January 2019, the actor will tour small and large venues across London and Britain, with an intimate show about his life on stage with a mixture of anecdotes and acting from Shakespeare to Tolkien and more. The profits from each performance will benefit that specific theatre.

The London theatres he will be visiting are: The Space, National Theatre (Lyttelton), Yong Vic, Bridge Theatre, Richmond Theatre, Above the Stag Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, Arts Theatre, The Old Vic, the Royal Court, Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch, Jerwood Vanbrugh Theatre (RADA), Donmar Warehouse, Lyric Hammersmith, Duke of York's Theatre, Theatre Royal Stratford East and the national tour will end at the National Theatre in the Olivier.

McKellen, who has just completed a 100 performance run in King Lear at the Duke of York's, will also take in venues that have been significant in his career, including the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry where he made his first professional performance, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, and Chichester Festival Theatre.

Announcing the tour, 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.

"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."

Full list of Ian McKellen tour dates 2019

(London dates in bold)

25-26 January 2019, The Space
28 January 2019, National Theatre, Lyttleton
30 January 2019, Young Vic
3 February 2019, Bridge Theatre
4 February 2019, Richmond Theatre
6 February 2019, Above The Stag Theatre
10 February 2019, Hampstead Theatre
11 February 2019, Arts Theatre
12-13 February 2019, Theatre Royal Windsor
17 February 2019, The Old Vic
19-20 February 2019, Bristol Old Vic
22 February 2019, Royal Court Theatre
24-25 February 2019, The Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch
26 February 2019, Jerwood Vanbrugh Theatre, RADA (Performance for students only)
1 March 2019, Donmar Warehouse (Not on sale to general public, only for under 25s)
3 March 2019, Lyric Hammersmith
4 March 2019, The Questors, Judi Dench Playhouse
7 March 2019, Duke of York's Theatre
8-9 March 2019, Ipswich New Wolsey
10 March 2019, Theatre Royal Stratford East
13 March 2019, Swansea Grand Theatre
14-15 March 2019, Aberystwyth Arts Centre
16 March 2019, The Hafren, Powys
18-19 March 2019,Theatr Clwyd, Mold, Wales
24 March 2019, Theatre Royal Bath
29-30 March 2019, Maddermarket Theatre, Norwich
2 April 2019, The Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone
5 April 2019, Chichester Minerva Theatre
12-13 April 2019, Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds
14 April 2019, Royal & Derngate, Northampton
17-18 April 2019, Colchester Mercury Theatre
20 April 2019, Belgrade Theatre Coventry
24-25 April 2019, Norwich Playhouse
27-28 April 2019, King's Lynn Shakespeare Festival, St George's Guildhall
30 April - 1 May 2019, Oxford Playhouse
3-4 May 2019, Jersey Opera House
6 May 2019, Aylesbury Waterside Theatre
7-8 May 2019, Cheltenham Everyman Theatre
10-11 May 2019, Cambridge Arts Theatre
13-14 May 2019, Wigan Little Theatre
15 May 2019, The Forum Theatre, Stockport
17-18 May 2019, Liverpool Playhouse
19 May 2019, Warwick Arts Centre
20 May 2019, Blackpool Grand
23 May 2019, Burnley Youth Theatre
25 May 2019, The Albert Halls Theatre, Bolton
28 May 2019, The Dukes, Lancaster
31 May 2019, Buxton Opera House
1-2 June 2019, Curve Theatre, Leicester
3 June 2019, Sheffield Crucible
4 June 2019, Theatre Royal Wakefield
5-6 June 2019, HOME Manchester
9 June 2019, Forum Theatre, Stockton-on-Tees
11 June 2019, The Civic, Barnsley
12 June 2019, CAST Waterdale, Doncaster
14 June 2019, The Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond
16 June 2019, Hull New Theatre
17 June 2019, Grand Opera House, York
21-22 June 2019, Birmingham Repertory Theatre
25-26 June 2019, Nottingham Playhouse
27-28 June 2019, Cardiff New Theatre
1 July 2019, Northcott Theatre, Exeter
2 July 2019, Lighthouse, Poole's Centre For The Arts
3 July 2019, Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis
5 July 2019, The Watermill Theatre, Bagnor, Newbury
15-19 July 2019, Theatre Royal Brighton
21 July 2019, Royal Shakespeare Theatre & Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
25-26 July 2019, Lyric Theatre, Belfast
27 July 2019, Waterside Theatre, Londonderry
29 July 2019, The Braid Arts Centre, Ballymena
31 July - 1 August 2019, Theatre at the Mill, Newtonabbey
9 August 2019, Dundee Rep Theatre
11 August 2019, Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Pitlochry
12 August 2019, Eden Court, Inverness
14 August 2019, Aberdeen Tivoli
18 August 2019, Newcastle Theatre Royal
20 August 2019, Theatre by the Lake, Keswick
22-25 August 2019, Edinburgh International Festival at Assembly Hall,
28 August 2019, The Orkney Theatre
15 September 2019, National Theatre, Olivier

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