Dolby Atmos is making its live theater debut

Dolby Atmos has integrated into spaces like movies, home theaters, and headphones over the decade plus since it launched in 2012. Now, its entering the live theater space for the first time since thanks to Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company’s take on King Lear. It has been used for live events before, however, like concerts at the Dolby Live in the Park MGM Las Vegas.

Kenneth Branagh, who stars in the production, has previously used Dolby Atmos as a director of films like Belfast. “Kenneth Branagh’s brilliant implementations of Dolby Atmos in film, like for his Oscar-winning Belfast, demonstrate the power artists have to immerse audiences in ways never before possible,” said Jed Harmsen, Head of Cinema and Group Entertainment at Dolby. He added that the “collaboration with Dolby will break ground in bringing Dolby Atmos to the world of stage performance and use intentional sound design to plunge audiences into the play’s universe.”

King Lear will run for nearly two months from October 26 to December 15 at The Shed’s Griffin Theater in New York City. Dolby Atmos will create audio effects and music around the audience and above the actors.