Sir Ian McKellen opens The Playhouse in Horden

Here in Horden, a former mining village on the County Durham coast, a building once left standing empty is now full of life again.

In May 2026, local residents, performers, supporters and invited guests gathered to celebrate the official opening of The Playhouse, the new permanent home of Ensemble ’84, officially opened by Sir Ian McKellen.

Inside, audiences watched Shakespeare performed in a way few would expect to find in one of England’s most economically challenged communities. McKellen performed excerpts from Shakespeare himself. Ensemble ’84 presented scenes from The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet – Shakespeare’s First Quarto. 

There was laughter, applause and long-standing ovations. But the evening was about far more than one famous guest or one opening night.

For us, it marked another important step in a much bigger project. One rooted in the belief that world-class theatre should not belong only to major cities, wealthy audiences or people with industry connections.

Ensemble ’84 was founded in 2024 with a simple but ambitious idea: to make theatre for, with and by the diverse communities of County Durham to share with audiences on a global stage.

We offer paid training and professional opportunities to local people, many of whom have had no previous route into theatre. In less than two years, Ensemble ’84 has become one of the most talked-about cultural projects in the North East.

The opening of The Playhouse now gives the company a permanent base in the village. A home for productions, training, workshops and community activity. It is also a statement of long-term belief in a place too often discussed through statistics rather than culture.

Horden’s story is well known across the North East. Built around coal mining, the village once revolved around Horden Colliery, one of the largest pits in the country. When the pit closed in 1987, thousands of jobs disappeared almost overnight. The effects of that loss are still felt today. But statistics never tell the full story.

There is pride here. Talent. Creativity. Strong communities. Stories worth telling. That belief runs through every part of Ensemble ’84’s work.

For director Mark Dornford-May, artistic rigour is central to the company’s vision.

“There is no reason why challenging or ambitious work should only happen in London or at major institutions,” he says. “People here are capable of extraordinary things if they are given the opportunity.”

Mark is no stranger to creating theatre in overlooked places. The multi-award-winning director founded Isango Ensemble in South Africa in 2000 and has built an international reputation for creating large-scale work with local performers. His productions have won Olivier Awards, major international honours and critical acclaim across the world.

Alongside directing, he has repeatedly helped create theatre spaces from the ground up. In London, he was part of the campaign that helped bring Wilton’s Music Hall back into use during the 1990s. In South Africa, he established a permanent home for Isango Ensemble focused on training, performance and community engagement.

That same long-term approach is now shaping Horden.

Our performers and trainees come from across County Durham, from former pit villages on the east coast to rural towns near the Pennines, as well as a strong East Durham contingent. Several are appearing on stage professionally for the first time. 

For many involved, the company has changed not only career prospects, but also confidence and identity.