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

The online experience has been created in collaboration between the Royal Shakespeare Company, Manchester International Festival, Marshmallow Laser Feast and Philharmonia Orchestra, and had been set to open last spring before the COVID-19 pandemic forced its cancellation.

Now adapted for online viewing only, Dream 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." Dream, meanwhile, is described as "combining theatre, music and cutting-edge motion capture technology."

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 check out here.

Jane Beese, Head of Music at Manchester International Festival, said: "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."

Dream will run from March 12 to 20, 2021, and there will be 10 performances of the production across that period. Find more information here.