Ian McKellen ‘emotional’ as he opens County Durham theatre space

It’s a chilly spring evening in what was once a Catholic church in a left-behind County Durham pit village, and Ian McKellen admits he is feeling emotional. “This is the only company of actors in the United Kingdom and it’s in … Horden?” he says. “I’m feeling very emotional. This fulfils all my romantic dreams I’ve had ever since I discovered the joys of theatre-going and acting.” On Saturday, McKellen formally opened a new space for Ensemble 84 , a theatre company formed 18 months ago that auditioned for local talent and gave people jobs as actors and performers. Ian McKellen said it was ‘shameful’ that actors could no longer join a professional repertory company to learn their trade. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian This is how it should be, McKellen told the Guardian. He said it was “shameful” that the opportunity to join a professional repertory company of actors, for performers to learn their trade as he and others had done, no longer existed. “The National Theatre makes its own sets,” he said. “It has a wig department. It has a makeup department. It has a property department. It has a set department. It has a publicity department. They’re all on salary. Some of them will be on a pension. “The National Theatre doesn’t employ actors full-time. They’re hired helps. That’s not right. …