BUDDING actors from Bolton were thrilled last term to meet homegrown theatrical legend Sir Ian McKellen on a trip to the Royal Theatre Windsor.
The students, Bolton School Boys' Division sixth form met Sir Ian along with several of the school's alumni after watching the famous actor perform the title role in a production of William Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Students discussing the performance with Sir Ian
Sir Ian has maintained a longtime connection with Bolton, having spent much of his childhood in the town and having attended Bolton School himself as a boy and was open to a wide range of questions from the boys after the show, alongside director Sean Mathias.
The students had travelled down to Windsor from Bolton School
A spokesperson for the school said: "He asked the boys about their familiarity with Hamlet and their thoughts on his adaptation.
"The gathering fell into a conversation about playing age-blind and how, in this production, the existential angst of a young man, Hamlet, was amplified by the sense that a famous Shakespearian actor and octogenarian was perhaps playing this role for the final time in his career.
"Sir Ian was delighted that the boys had made the effort to travel down from Bolton and took the opportunity to thank again those on the trip that had performed at his surprise 80th birthday party back in the summer of 2019."
Actors on stage at the end of a performance
The Hamlet performance was the 83rd consecutive show of the play by the 82 year old Sir Ian.
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