#Nick Cave to Voice a Forest in Online Theater Piece

Nick Cave is joining the cast of Dream—an online theater production based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Cave will lend his vocal cords to the piece as the Voice of the Forest, a “strange and mystical character who accompanies the audience as they explore the rivers, flowers and trees of a virtual midsummer forest,” according to a press release. Created with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Manchester International Festival, Marshmallow Laser Feast, and Philharmonia Orchestra, the production will stream from March 12-20 on Dream’s website.

“Music is an integral part of the Dream experience and we’re thrilled that Nick Cave’s voice will sit alongside Jesper Nordin and Esa-Pekka Salonen’s living, dynamic score,” Jane Beese, head of music at Manchester International Festival, said in a press release. “With his mystical voice and dark vocal tones, Cave is the perfect person to represent the forest helping audiences traverse the otherworldly land of Dream.”

Recorded during lockdown, the 50-minute show combines theater, music, and motion capture technology, starring actors alongside their own avatars. Viewers will be able to interact in real-time with the cast. The play was originally meant to open in Spring 2020.

Nick Cave and Warren Ellis released their collaborative album Carnage last week.