Sir Ian McKellen to open historic all-trans and nonbinary production of Twelfth Night
Director Phoebe Kemp said in a statement: "Twelfth Night already toys with gender and performance – it feels like Shakespeare wrote it for us"
Trans What You Will is to launch its debut production with a rehearsed reading of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night next month, entirely directed by and cast with trans and nonbinary performers.
The reading will be furthermore opened by Lord of the Rings legend Sir Ian McKellen.
What a moment!
The production will be staged at The Space Theatre in London on 25 July 2025, on the eve of London Trans Pride, with a global livestream available to audiences everywhere.
Directed by Phoebe Kemp (they/them), this celebratory one-night-only performance reimagines one of Shakespeare’s most gender-fluid comedies through a trans lens. Any profits will be donated to Not a Phase, a UK-based trans charity.
“This reading is about joy, solidarity and showing what’s possible”
Director Phoebe Kemp said in a statement: “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 centre of the story.”
Added a Trans What You Will rep: “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.”
Stage veteran McKellen is known for playing many of Shakespeare’s greatest characters, including Richard II, Macbeth, Coriolanus, Iago, Richard III, and, most recently, King Lear. The Oscar-nominee is also known for films such as The Critic and Beauty and the Beast.