Press release - 31 July 2019 14:00

World-renowned actor Sir Ian Mckellen on stage at the Braid

Mid and East Antrim welcomed Sir Ian McKellen to the Braid as part of his On Stage Tolkien, Shakespeare, Others and You tour.

The world-renowned actor wanted to do something special to celebrate his 80^th Birthday and there is no better way to celebrate than an 80-date UK tour.

Sir Ian had made the decision, prior to the tour, that all profits would be donated to specific causes relevant to each theatre that he performed in.

Mass cinematic fame has come from his role as Gandalf in Lord of the Rings but in this performance Sir Ian provided some theatrical magic of his own.

Standing on a bare stage he took the audience on the journey of his fascinating career, he opened up about his personal life and included the audience throughout with regular interaction.

Interestingly, Sir McKellen’s great-great grandfather, James McKellen, was a minister in Ballymena before leaving in 1840.

While his family have since settled in England, his visit to the Braid provided the perfect opportunity for him to discover his roots while also raising funds to support a community theatre programme in the Borough.

His intimate show at the Braid was a great success.

It was a personal yet magical performance as his biggest fans enjoyed an evening of warmth, wit and wizardry.

Topics

County council issues

Regions

Antrim

For Mid and East Antrim Borough Council media enquiries T: 028 2563 5037 E: communications@midandeastantrim.gov.uk
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Contacts

Press Office

Press contact Communications@midandeastantrim.gov.uk 028 2563 3522

Chris Kilpatrick

Press contact Head of Communications chris.kilpatrick@midandeastantrim.gov.uk

Deborah Cummings

Press contact Press Officer deborah.cummings@midandeastantrim.gov.uk

Aisling Maguire

Press contact Press Officer aisling.maguire@midandeastantrim.gov.uk

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World-renowned actor Sir Ian Mckellen on stage at the Braid
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World-renowned actor Sir Ian Mckellen on stage at the Braid
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The content may be downloaded by journalists, bloggers, columnists, creators of public opinion, etc. It can be used and shared in different media channels to convey, narrate, and comment on your press releases, posts, or information, provided that the content is unmodified. The author or creator shall be attributed to the extent and in the manner required by good practice (this means, for example, that photographers should be attributed).

World-renowned actor Sir Ian Mckellen on stage at the Braid
License: Media Use
The content may be downloaded by journalists, bloggers, columnists, creators of public opinion, etc. It can be used and shared in different media channels to convey, narrate, and comment on your press releases, posts, or information, provided that the content is unmodified. The author or creator shall be attributed to the extent and in the manner required by good practice (this means, for example, that photographers should be attributed).