Lear reimagines Shakespeare's King Lear, intertwining the tragedy of an ageing monarch confronting power, family and mortality with reflections on a lifetime spent in performance. The production places Ian McKellen's own relationship with the role alongside Shakespeare's text, exploring the boundaries between actor and character as Lear's world begins to unravel.

The production is reimagined by Simon Stephens (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Vanya, Heisenberg) and Jay Miller, Artistic Director of The Yard Theatre. Miller also directs the production, with Ian McKellen returning to one of Shakespeare's defining roles after performing King Lear more than a thousand times across his career.

The production opens The Yard Theatre's inaugural season in its newly rebuilt Hackney Wick venue. The creative team includes set and costume designer Stewart Laing, sound designer Josh Anio Grigg, lighting designer Zerlina Hughes, video designer Sarah Readman, choreographer Malik Nashad Sharpe, assistant director Sophia Golan, and casting director Heather Basten CDG.