Ian McKellen and Taylor Russell in rehearsal for Yard Theatre's Lear

The Yard Theatre has released rehearsal photos for Lear, a new reimagining of Shakespeare's King Lear, and they show Ian McKellen and Taylor Russell at work in the room.

The photos were taken by Marc Brenner. WhatsOnStage published the full set of pictures on 11 November 2026, along with the cast list. Taylor Russell plays Cordelia, the king's youngest daughter, opposite McKellen.

The production is a reimagining, meaning a new version of the original story. Playwright Simon Stephens and Jay Miller, the Yard's artistic director (the person who runs the theatre and shapes its programme), wrote the version together. Malik Nashad Sharpe is the choreographer, the person who designs the movement on stage.

Four actors play Lear's Knights, the king's followers in the play: Kanako Nakano, Bobi Coates, Leo Udvarlaky and Camille Ifé Pettiford.

McKellen last played King Lear on stage in 2017, at Chichester Festival Theatre in West Sussex. This is his return to the role for a London audience in more than nine years.

Lear is part of the Yard's first season in its rebuilt home in Hackney Wick, east London. The new building was designed by Takero Shimazaki Architects and includes a 220-seat auditorium, the room where the audience sits.

The run is scheduled from 17 November 2026 to 2 January 2027. The press night, the first performance attended by critics, is set for 1 December. Press night is the date when reviews are usually written, and the run is the period the show is booked to play.

For a theatre that has been rebuilt and is opening its doors again, the first production carries a lot of weight. The coming weeks will show how the building works as a place to watch a play, and how a 220-seat room fills up over the holiday period.

Ticket prices and booking details have not been included in this story.