Nick Cave has joined the cast of the immersive online theatre production Dream.

The live production has been created in collaboration between the Royal Shakespeare Company, Manchester International Festival, Marshmallow Laser Feast and Philharmonia Orchestra.

Dream had been set to open in spring 2020 as both an in-person and online live experience, but it has since been adapted for online viewing only due to the coronavirus pandemic’s shutdown of theatre venues.

“Combining theatre, music and cutting-edge motion capture technology, Dream is an extraordinary exploration into the future of live performance,” a synopsis of the production states, while also promising that the remote audience will enjoy “a shared experience” with the actors.

Dream – which will run online from March 12-20 – will see Cave playing the ‘Voice of the Forest’, who is described as being “a strange and mystical character who accompanies the audience as they explore the rivers, flowers and trees of a virtual midsummer forest”.

?CASTING ANNOUNCEMENT?

Musician, writer and actor @nickcave joins the cast of Dream.

Nick joins the cast in the role of The Voice of the Forest and has pre-recorded his narration during lockdown – get a sneak peek below.

Read more: https://t.co/M7guI912jz#DreamOnline21 pic.twitter.com/BtQPA4A5pz

— The RSC (@TheRSC) March 4, 2021

Cave, who recorded his vocal parts during lockdown, can be heard reciting lines from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a new trailer for Dream, which you can hear in the clip above.

Jane Beese, Head of Music at Manchester International Festival, said of Cave’s casting: “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.

“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.”

Viewers from across the world can tune in to watch any of the 10 performances of Dream, which begin on March 12 at 11am GMT. They can either choose to buy a £10 ticket to take part in the production, or view the performance for free.

Last week Cave and Warren Ellis released their new album ‘Carnage’. Cave said that his inspiration for the record came from “reading, compulsively writing and just sitting on my balcony thinking about things” during the coronavirus lockdown last year.

With no initial intention of making an album, he said “the record just fell out of the sky. It was a gift.”