Musician, writer, composer and actor Nick Cave has joined the cast of the RSC/MIF Dream – the live online take on Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream that mixes graphics with live actors transposed to the screen by motion capture.
Cave will play the vocal role of the Voice of the Forest in the production, which is a collaboration between the Manchester International festival, Royal Shakespeare Company, Marshmallow Laser Feast and the Philharmonia Orchestra and will play online from March 12-20.
Recorded during lockdown, Cave plays a mystical character who accompanies the audience as they explore the rivers, flowers and trees of a virtual midsummer forest. Dream is the culmination of a major research project called Audience of the Future.
Using a mobile or desktop via the dream.online website, audiences anywhere in the world can interact in real-time with a cast of seven actors to a symphonic score recorded by the Philharmonia Orchestra. The pioneering collaboration explores how audiences could experience live performance in the future.
Dream was due to open last spring as a live event and online performance, and has now been recreated for online audiences. The 50-minute event will be a shared experience between the actors and remote audiences, who can buy a £10 ticket to take part, or watch the performance free. The 10 performances – including one at 2am – are scheduled so audiences worldwide can watch.