About the Show

A magical comedy of lovers, mischief, and transformation in an enchanted forest.

When conflict in the fairy kingdom spills into the human world, four young lovers escape into a forest where order quickly dissolves. There, an unsuspecting weaver named Bottom becomes entangled in enchantment, and the mischievous Puck reshapes desire at will. As affections shift and identities blur, misunderstandings multiply before harmony is gradually restored in a dreamlike realm where the natural and supernatural collide.

This production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is directed by Atri Banerjee (The Glass Menagerie, Royal Exchange; Julius Caesar, RSC) and features folk-infused music composed by Maimuna Memon (Portia Coughlan, Almeida; The Grapes of Wrath, National Theatre). Staged in an outdoor setting, the production foregrounds the play’s interplay between illusion and reality through live music and ensemble performance.

Critic Reviews (5)

For a previous production

[Dominic Hill] exploits to the full the verdant backdrop of Regent’s Park, catapulting the audience into a shape-shifting, tenebrous otherworld.
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For a previous production

[This] production is a delectably dark and gothic-tinged take on Shakespeare’s comedy. The cast are uniformly excellent … By switching dreams for nightmares, Hill creates a bewitching spectacle.
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For a previous production

Dominic Hill's hard-working production is very easy to settle into. Normally, nobody cares about other people's dreams – but you'll happily make an exception for Hill, and his wacky re-imagining of Shakespeare's somnambulant story.
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For a previous production

I wondered if [Dominic Hill] was trying a bit hard not to give in to the surroundings’ potential for twee charm. There is darkness to be mined in the play, in its gender politics and in the fairy pranks. Both are brought out here.
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For a previous production

Dominic Hill … has created ... a Dream that is clear in plot and in words but, also, is enveloped in an air of magic. This production is, mercifully, mostly free of … gimmickry. It does veer at times towards panto, but this is not a spectacle but a story.
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