Sir Ian McKellen To Introduce Shakespeare Play With Transgender And ‘Non-Binary’ Cast

Sir Ian McKellen, perhaps best known for portraying Gandalf in the “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy, will stage a reading to introduce a new Shakespeare production in London that’s being touted for its all transgender and “non-binary” cast.

The 86-year-old actor is slated to appear in support of a new adaptation of “Twelfth Night” being staged by the Trans What You Will theater group in London in July. 

“Twelfth Night is perhaps the funniest and most moving of Shakespeare’s plays. This is achieved through the complexity of gender and sexuality from first to last. I’m really looking forward to the impact of this latest version of the play at The Space. I hope to see you there!” a quote attributed to McKellen that was posted to the theater group’s Instagram page said.

Those involved with the production gushed about the upcoming stage play. 

Director Phoebe Kemp told Attitude Magazine, “Twelfth Night already toys with gender and performance — it feels like Shakespeare wrote it for us. This reading is about joy, solidarity and showing what’s possible when trans and nonbinary artists are at the center of the story.” 

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“With mistaken identities, cross-dressing, and declarations of love across shifting gender roles, Twelfth Night has long explored the complexity of identity. This production makes that queerness explicit, reclaiming the story through the lived experiences of trans and nonbinary artists,” a rep for Trans What You Will added.

Twelfth Night is a comedy centered on mistaken identity involving the main character, Viola, who disguises herself as a man after being shipwrecked. Viola becomes stuck in a love triangle, and the play ends in multiple marriages and the revelation of true identities. 

McKellen, who is gay, said in 2017 that his political activism was ultimately “more important” and “longer-lasting than any acting” he’s done. In the 1980s, he helped fight a law in England that prohibited authorities from “promoting homosexuality” and co-founded a U.K.-based gay rights organization.

“I’m very proud of my small contributions to changing the law in this country and changing attitudes, all for the better,” he told The Hollywood Reporter at the time.