Over the past decade, actor Ralph Fiennes and playwright David Hare have collaborated six times across film, television, and theatre. Their latest joint project, Grace Pervades, marks Hare’s 40th play and centers on two leading figures of Victorian theatre: Henry Irving and Ellen Terry. The production opened at London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket and runs through July 11.

Fiennes portrays Henry Irving, the influential actor-manager who led the Lyceum Theatre from 1878 to 1901, elevated theatre’s status as a respected art form, and became the first actor to be knighted. Miranda Raison plays Ellen Terry, Irving’s leading lady. Hare’s play interweaves their lives with those of Terry’s children, Edward Gordon Craig, a theatre designer, and Edith Craig, a feminist theatre-maker, exploring a century of theatrical history.

The collaboration reflects a shared devotion to theatre. Irving is depicted as intense, sometimes intimidating, and committed to his work, qualities Fiennes acknowledges in his own professional approach. Hare describes Irving’s defining trait as an “intense desire for self-fulfilment through work,” contrasting it with Terry's greater interest in personal life and her deep loyalty to Irving.

Fiennes credits Hare’s accessible writing style for their repeated collaborations, noting that after reading Michael Holroyd’s biography *A Strange Eventful History: The Dramatic Lives of Ellen Terry, Henry Irving and Their Remarkable Families*, he was moved by the portrayal of Irving’s continuous drive to act. When given the opportunity to program a season at Theatre Royal Bath, Fiennes invited Hare to adapt the story for the stage.

Both men reflect on the challenges and nuances of portraying a historical figure as revered as Irving. Fiennes describes a recent encounter with an audience member urging him to "act greatness," to which he responded that greatness is recognized by others rather than performed. He also expresses admiration for past great actors like Laurence Olivier, John Wood, and Paul Scofield, emphasizing that remarkable acting can be both understated and powerful, engaging audiences on a visceral level.

Hare offers insight into the play’s deeper themes, emphasizing the concept of theatre as a communal enterprise. He relates an anecdote about Irving employing a homeless woman to look after the theatre’s cats, highlighting Irving’s vision of the theatre company as an interconnected community. Hare regards this idea, foundational to 19th-century theatre, as central to the play’s political core, reflecting on the importance of collaboration and mutual dependence within the performing arts.

Fiennes echoes this sentiment, describing the stage as “the purest arena for an actor,” where the presence of an audience and the dynamics of a company imbue his work with meaning despite its challenges.

Grace Pervades thus combines historical narrative with reflections on artistry, collaboration, and the evolving nature of theatre, offering audiences a nuanced portrayal of two of the Victorian era’s theatrical icons.