Taylor Russell Joins Ian McKellen in Lear at the Yard Theatre

Canadian actress Taylor Russell will play Cordelia opposite Ian McKellen in Lear, a new production at the Yard Theatre in east London. WhatsOnStage announced the casting on 29 October 2026.

Lear is a reimagining of Shakespeare's King Lear by the playwright Simon Stephens and Jay Miller, who has run the Yard since it was founded in 2011. Stephens and McKellen have worked together before, on An Ark, a virtual theatre experiment.

The show will open the Yard's rebuilt home in Hackney Wick as part of the venue's first season. The new building was designed by Takero Shimazaki Architects and has a 220-seat auditorium. The production runs from 17 November 2026 to 2 January 2027. Its press night, the first performance that critics attend, is set for 1 December 2026.

For McKellen, this is a return to one of Shakespeare's great tragedies. He last played King Lear on stage in 2017 at Chichester Festival Theatre. That production later moved to the West End and then to New York, meaning it transferred from its original venue into commercial theatres. Lear will also be his first major stage role since he fell from the stage into the front row of the audience in 2024.

The creative team includes set and costume designer Stewart Laing, sound designer Josh Anio Grigg, lighting designer Zerlina Hughes, video designer Sarah Readman, choreographer Malik Nashad Sharpe and assistant director Sophia Golan.

Anyone thinking of booking should know how the Yard's membership works. A Yard Card is free to sign up for. Yard Regular membership costs £60 a year, and Yard Resident membership costs £150. Members get priority booking, pay no exchange fees and receive every fourth show free. Lear counts towards a member's four-show tally, but it cannot be the free show.

The Yard has not yet published ticket prices for the run, so check the theatre's website for the latest figures before you buy.