Emily Carding is a highly experienced actor, theatre-maker and writer, specializing in Shakespeare, responsive immersive theatre, and the horror genre. They hold a BA (hons) in Theatre Arts from Bretton Hall and an MFA in Staging Shakespeare from the University of Exeter. They have won multiple awards internationally for their innovative interactive approach to Shakespearean performance with Brite Theater, including Richard III (a one person show) and Hamlet (an experience). Both adaptations use the audience as characters within the play and create a truly immersive experience with very little other than actor, text, space and audience. A third solo interactive Shakespeare adaptation including gaming elements, Timonopoly, had a successful first run at Edinburgh Fringe 2025, where it won a Fringe Theatre Award.
This focus on the intimate connection between actor and audience has led to further immersive and interactive work, with Emily playing lead roles in both The Locksmith’s Dream and The Key of Dreams which have both received great praise from critics, (including The Guardian and The Express) and guests, including Neil Patrick Harris, Jonathan Ross, Jane Goldman, Charlie Brooker and Andy Nyman.
Emily is also an accomplished screen actor, and played opposite Martin Freeman in the British horror movie hit, Ghost Stories. They will appear in a supporting role in the forthcoming Return to Silent Hill which is due in cinemas in January 2026.
In 2018 Emily was commissioned by London Science Museum to create a solo theatre piece inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Quintessence imagines a future where humanity has become extinct and must be recreated by an AI, using Shakespeare as a guide to the human spirit. This won the outstanding theatre award at Brighton Fringe in 2019 and Emily recently performed the show at WorldCon in Glasgow in a 2000 seater venue.
Emily is also the creator of a number of highly popular Tarot decks including The Transparent Tarot, The Transparent Oracle and Tarot of the Sidhe, (all published by Schiffer Books) and author of esoteric works, including Faery Craft,(Llewellyn 2012), So Potent Art: The Magic of Shakespeare (Llewellyn 2021) and Seeking Faery (Llewellyn 2022) You can book a TAROT READING or ONLINE MASTERCLASS HERE
Latest News
October 20th
Voidspace Participatory Network
Coward Conscience Trilogy
"Too insane not to do"- Emily Carding
Emily will be performing all three of Brite Theater's solo interactive Shakespeare's in one day at the upcoming Voidspace Participatory Network festival. This is definitely a one-time only event, but it has to be done!
More details and tickets HERE
Return To Silent Hill
The much anticipated horror franchise reboot "Return To Silent Hill" is due out in cinemas worldwide in January 2026, in which Emily plays the mysterious Dara.
Christophe Gans, who directed 2006's Silent Hill, is back behind the camera for Return to Silent Hill, a sequel slated to arrive in theaters in 2026. Jeremy Irvine and Hannah Emily Anderson star in the sequel, which based on Konami's Silent Hill 2. Return to Silent Hill brings the iconic horror franchise back to the screen. When James receives a mysterious letter from his lost love Mary, he is drawn to Silent Hill—a once-familiar town now consumed by darkness. As he searches for her, James faces monstrous creatures and unravels a terrifying truth that will push him to the edge of his sanity.
Voice actor
"Emily Carding is immensely talented, imbuing every character with real depth and humanity - not to mention that wonderful voice! They're also very pleasant to work with, which is why I'll happily cast them again in many future projects." - Jonas Kyratzes, Lead Writer & VO Director at Croteam
Emily now has a professional home studio for voice recording and has recently recorded two audio dramas and is currently working on an audiobook. Check out their voice reels HERE
Timonopoly
Brite Theater's Coward Conscience Trilogy of solo interactive Shakespeare shows is finally complete, with Timonopoly having just completed a successful first run at Edinburgh Fringe, where it won a Fringe Theatre Award. Next chance to catch this "undeniably genius" show is at Colab Tower on October 20th as part of the Voidspace Participatory Network festival, where Emily will be performing ALL THREE shows in one day, like a lunatic.
“This show is silly fun with a serious heart, pointing to human connection as the antidote to faceless capitalism.” **** All Edinburgh Theatre
“This is a barking-mad yet indisputably genius idea” **** The Wee Review
“Like Brite’s previous works, Richard III (a one-person show), and Hamlet (an experience), we strongly believe that this will be a show that people are still talking about and participating in for years to come” **** Starburst Magazine
More details and tickets HERE
Bridge Command
Emily is now part of the crew at Bridge Command, a spectacular immersive experience in London where YOU get to fly a starship!
More details and booking HERE
The Key of Dreams
A new Lovecraftian immersive mystery event from the makers of Locksmith's Dream premiered in May 2024, featuring all new characters and secrets to uncover. The Key of Dreams has already recieved great praise from critics and guests alike. Emily plays Dee, an occultist with a dark past. After an epic 48hr finale in July, the stories and characters have shifted. CHAPTER TWO shows are now available to book through the website...For a 24 hour immersive experience unlike anything else, book your place HERE
"And then we come to Emily Carding as Dee. The Key Of Dreams’ is a masterpiece of dark, intense immersion and that is largely down to their powerful performance as its amoral centre. Whether you choose to become one of their followers or not, they cast a pitch black shadow over proceedings which sets the perfect tone for all that happens around her. They possess the kind of gravitational pull and evil charisma that Dracula would give his left fang for but whether they are the anti-hero or the villain of the piece is left entirely down to us to judge." Broadway World
Locksmith's Dream
“The Locksmith’s Dream is, above all else, the most thoroughly immersive event I’ve ever attended … there really is nothing else like this.”
Locksmith's Dream, featuring Emily as the Curator, is taking bookings for it's FINAL PERFORMANCES in October/November 2025 HERE
Workshops and Lectures
Emily has run workshops and given talks on many subjects internationally, including Shakespeare, Immersive theatre, Tarot, Mythology, Alternative Spirituality and Folklore. They are experienced in both online and in person speaking and have worked with all ages and knowledge levels.
To book Emily for your event or workshop, please email using the button below: