British acting veteran Ian McKellen has found a unique way to celebrate his 80th birthday…with a tour!

Appropriately, McKellen has planned 80 tour dates – one for each birthday – around the United Kingdom.

The solo tour will feature a variety of venues, many of which hold some personal significance for him from childhood memories to notable professional venues.

The tour is scheduled to kick off in London in January and continue through most of the year. The show will feature anecdotes and some acting including his Shakespearean and Tolkien roles.

Proceeds from the tour will benefit charitable causes specific to each theatre.

Spending over half of his life on the stage, McKellen has appeared on Broadway and been a part of National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, the Prospect Theatre, and the Actors’ Company.

Ian McKellen tour dates:
Jan 25 & 26 at The Space in London
Jan 28 at the National Lyttleton in London
Jan 30 at the Young Vic in London
Feb 3 at the Bridge Theatre in London
Feb 4 at the Richmond Theatre in Richmond
Feb 6 at the Above the Stag Theatre in London
Feb 10 at the Hampstead Theatre in London
Feb 11 at the Arts Theatre in London
Feb 12 & 13 at the Theatre Royale in Windsor
Feb 17 at the Old Vic in London
Feb 19 & 20 at the Old Vic in Bristol
Feb 22 at the Royal Court in London
Feb 24 & 25 at the Queen’s Theatre in Hornchurch
Feb 26 at RADA in London
March 1 at the Donmar Warehouse in London
March 3 at the Lyric Theatre in London
March 4 at the Questors Theatre in London
March 7 at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London
March 8 & 9 at the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich
March 10 at the Theatre Royale Stratford East in London
March 13 at the Swansea Grand in SwanseaMarch 14 & 15 at Aberystwyth Arts Centre in Aberystwyth
March 16 at The Hafren in Newtown
March 18 & 19 at Theatre Clwyd in Moth
March 24 at the Theatre Royal Bath in Bath
March 29 & 30 at the Maddermarket Theatre in Norwich
April 2 at the Leas Cliff Hall in Folkestone
April 5 at the Chichester Festival Theatre in Chichester
April 12 & 13 at the Theatre Royal in Bury Staint Edmunds
April 14 at the Royal & Derngate in Northampton
April 17 & 18 at the Colchester Mercury in Colchester
April 20 at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry
April 24 & 25 at the Nrwich Playhouse in Norwch
April 27 & 28 at the Guildhall of St. George in King’s Lynn
April 30 and May 1 at the Oxford Playhouse in Oxford
May 3 & 4 at the Jersey Opera House in Jersey
May 6 at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury
May 7 & 8 at the Everyman Theatre in Gloucestershire
May 1 & 11 at the Cambridge Arts Theatre in Cambridge
May 13 & 14 at the Wigan Little Theatre in Wigan
May 15 at The Forum Theatre in Stockport
May 17 & 18 at the Liverpool Playhouse in Liverpool
May 19 at the Warwick Arts Centre in Coventry
May 20 at the Blackpol Grand in Blackpool
May 23 at the Burnley Youth Theatre in Burnley
May 25 at The Albert Halls in Bolton
May 28 at The Dukes in Lancaster
May 31 at the Buuxton Opera House in Buxton
June 1 & 2 at the Leicester Curve Studio in Leicester
June 3 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield
June 4 at the Theatre Royal in Wakefield
June 5 & 6 at the Home Manchester in Manchester
June 9 at the Forum Theatre Billingham in Stockton-on-Tees
June 11 at The Civic Barnsley in Barnsley
June 12 at the Doncaster Cast in Doncaster
June 14 at the Georgian Theatre Royal in Richmond
June 16 at the Hull New Theatre in Hull
June 17 at the York Opera House in York
June 21 & 22 at the Birmngham Repertory Theatre in Birmingham
June 25 & 26 at the Nottingham Playhouse in Nottingham
June 27 & 28 at the New Theatre in Cardiff
July 1 at the Northcott Theatre in Exeter
July 2 at the Lighthouse in Poole
July 3 at the Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis
July 5 at The Watermill Theatre I Newbury
July 9 at the Princess Theatre in Torquay
July 15-18 at the Theatre Royal in Brighton
July 22 at the RST & Swan Theatre in Stratford
July 25 & 26 at the Lyric in Belfast
July 27 at the Waterside in Derry
July 29 at The Braid Arts Centre in Ballymena
July 31 & Aug 1 at the Theatre at The Mill in Newtonabbey
Aug 9 at the Dundee Rep Theatre in Dundee
Aug 11 at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre in Pitlochry
Aug 12 at the Eden Court in Inverness
Aug 14 at the Tivoli in Aberdeen
Aug 18 at the Newcastle Theatre Royal in Newcastle upon Tyne
Aug 20 at the Theatre by the Lake in Keswick
Aug 22-25 at the Edinburgh International Festival in Edinburgh
Aug 28 at the Orkeny Arts Theatre in Orkney
Sept 15 at the National Theatre, Oliver in London