A Midsummer Night's Dream - Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

By the glow of candlelight, in the depths of winter, discover the magic of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the very first time in the indoor Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.

To escape a society ruled by tyrannical law, four young lovers flee to the forest beyond the city walls.

Unbeknownst to them, the world of the woods has been turned upside down by a fierce battle between the Fairy King and Queen, Oberon and Titania, over the ownership of a stolen child.

As the dispute rages on, more people fall victim to the jealousy-fuelled forces of the powerful pair, and the disturbing spells of Oberon’s unruly lackey Puck. As day turns to night, reality becomes illusion, and snow starts to fall in summer, can anyone stop the Dream from becoming a nightmare?

Following 2022’s ‘extraordinary’ ★★★★ (The Observer) co-production of Henry V, Shakespeare’s Globe collaborates once again with ‘hugely influential’ (Time Out) touring theatre company Headlong to shine candlelight on the shadowy underbelly of one of Shakespeare’s most-loved plays. Naeem Hayat (The Comedy of Errors, 2023/24) co-directs alongside Headlong Artistic Director Holly Race Roughan.

A production by Shakespeare’s Globe and Headlong, with Bristol Old Vic and Leeds Playhouse.