NEWS: A Midsummer Night’s Dream @ Northern Stage

Poor old Shakespeare. We really take him for granted. As a survivor of the British education system, I appreciate how difficult it can be to disassociate yourself from all the lengthy double English lessons spent trying to fathom why they all talk so strangely, the exhaustion of having to take a scalpel to every scrap of dialogue, the true struggle to appreciate the fact that we still talk about him for a bloody good reason.

However, as Baz Lurhmann’s bank account will attest, there’s a lot of fun and revelations to be had when one takes the Bard’s texts as the foundation for their own unique vision. Enter Matthew Dunster and Jimmy Fairhurst (part of Warrington-based, award-winning theatre company Not Too Tame) who are taking their unique vision of the iconic comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream to Northern Stage from Saturday 29^th October-Saturday 12^th November. Taking in influences as broad as Dismaland, Nick Cave and working-class identity, the duo’s production boasts a diverse mix of emerging and experienced actors that was whittled down from an overwhelming 2,000 auditions, including the legendary Mercury Prize-nominee Nadine Shah in her debut theatrical performance as Titania, and David Morrissey providing the voice of Oberon.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is performed at Northern Stage, Newcastle from Saturday 29^th October-Saturday 12^th November.