Egeus wants his daughter Hermia to marry Demetrius, but Hermia loves Lysander. And Helena loves Demetrius. “The course of true love never did run smooth…” And with a blundering Puck, bickering fairies and an amorous Bottom, it becomes more than a bit complicated.
A dreamlike fairytale of unrequited love, mistaken identity and enchantment, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most cherished comedies. Chickenshed’s glorious production sees song and dance added to one of the Bard's greatest texts, with just a touch of magic and mischief.
“Chickenshed Theatre Company could teach many a West End theatre troupe how to put on a show. Their production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream truly zings with energy, panache and fresh acting talent. For my money, it’s one of the best nights out in London.” Andrew O’Hagan, Guardian
"I attended last night’s performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream (Wednesday 17 March 2010). I would just like to thank you all for such a wonderful performance! I was mesmerised from beginning to end. All the actors performed beautifully and the whole play just captivated me. Your representation of A Midsummer Night's Dream was also of an excellent standard and it keep me on the edge of my seat all the way through. All the work you must of put into that performance definitely shone through. Although the actress playing Helena did not talk to me directly I thought it was very impressive that she was in character before the play and spoke to my friends about Demetrius, which I thought was a very nice touch. I’m sure the other actors did the same but I noticed her, as she was the one talking to my friends. Your representation of Queen Titania and puck being played by more than one actor was inspiring to say the least. I especially liked Puck as the three actors played it in a unique way, but none the less a way that made my mouth drop in awe. I feel that your play definitely rivals any other play that is on at the moment of A Midsummer Night's Dream and infact I am glad it was your version I came to see. You captured my heart and my imagination in your play. Thank you so much for such a wonderful and magical evening and I will definitely be looking out for other plays that catch my interest being performed by Chickenshed. "
Rob Beadle, Audience Member
"Take a Shakespearean text, combine it with Chickenshed's ambition and foresight and you get a spellbinding poem of theatrical movement, enhanced by music and light." Read more of this 4 Star review from Remote Goat
Performances: Friday 12 – Saturday 27 March 2010
Performance Times: Tue – Sat Evenings at 7.30pm, Sat Matinees at 3.30pm,
Fri 12, Tue 16, Thu 18 and Thu 25 Matinees at 1pm.
Sign-interpreted performances:
Thursday 18 March at 1pm and Saturday 20 March at 7.30pm
Captioned performances with surtitles:
Thursday 25 March at 1pm and Friday 26 March at 7.30pm
Audio-described performances (for blind or partially-sighted people):
Wednesday 24 March and Saturday 27 March at 7.30pm
Pre Show Talk with the Director: Wednesday 17 March
Join us for dinner before the performance, Beef or Vegetable Lasagne served with salad £6. Book at the Box Office.
Tickets: £14, concessions £9
Box Office: 020 8292 9222 / mailto:Bookings@chickenshed.org.uk / www.chickenshed.org.uk
Text phone: 18001 0208 292 9222
A Midsummer Night's Dream has been generously supported by River Island
River Island is one of the largest and most successful fashion retailers designing products that have a unique appeal on the high street. They are fashionable, focused and work hard to stay at the top of their field.
Chickenshed are delighted that River Island are providing all the costumes for this production. Their ongoing and invaluable support not only aids us financially but inspires and enables us to be incredibly creative with our costumes which in turn effects the whole production.
We value their support tremendously.
River Island's Spring/Summer 2010 Collection has integrated seamlessly with our vision of Shakespeare's classic A Midsummer Night's Dream, giving our huge multi-talented cast a sense of contemporary style and theatricality.
Graham Hollick, Designer
