A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Shakespeare North Playhouse

Join Not Too Tame for a riotous brand new staging of Shakespeare’s best-known comedy. Directed by Matthew Dunster and Jimmy Fairhurst, A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be the first Shakespearean-inspired production to be presented in the Cockpit Theatre at Shakespeare North Playhouse.

A refreshingly anarchic and raucous take on The Bard’s classic.

The production is the result of an exciting new collaboration between proud Northern companies, Not Too Tame, Northern Stage and Shakespeare North Playhouse. Expect a refreshingly anarchic and raucous take on The Bard’s classic. Chaotic rides through the forest at night, wild weddings and madcap cases of mistaken identity feature in this version of the well-loved comedy.

Two powerful feuding fairies are threatening to destroy the world after a fallout over a little boy. Meanwhile, in another world, four youngsters embark on a wild drug-induced adventure. And it is when these different worlds collide, that the party really begins – not everything is as rosy and dreamlike as it first appears…

Featuring the voice of BAFTA nominated actor David Morrissey as Oberon, and Mercury-nominated singer-songwriter Nadine Shah in her theatre debut as Titania, the talented cast includes a diverse mix of emerging and experienced performers. Most pleasingly, this unique production integrates the use of British Sign Language throughout too.

This unique production integrates the use of British Sign Language throughout too.

Promising “a show that’s to be experienced, not just watched”, Jimmy Fairhurst of multi-award-winning theatre company Not Too Tame told us, “Most people have seen a version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream but this is a refresh of the real bones, the warts and all of the play. It really speaks to me as a working-class person – a full-tilt, full-on night out. We want to see how dark we can go, like Nick Cave dark – imagine a music festival at Banksy’s Dismaland bemusement park – and still maintain all the playfulness and celebration, that sense of fun, excitement and entertainment.”

Explode the boundaries of traditional theatre etiquette to create a high-octane performance.

Recommended for ages 14+, this is A Midsummer Night’s Dream for everybody and especially for those who think that Shakespeare isn’t for them. Always putting their audience at the heart of each show, Not Too Tame strive to explode the boundaries of traditional theatre etiquette to create a high-octane performance and a “great night out”. We wouldn’t wait too long to get your tickets.