Check out production photos of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse in London.
A co-production between Headlong and Shakespeare’s Globe, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is now playing in London until 31 January 2026.
This new production is directed by Headlong’s Artistic Director Holly Race Roughan and co-directed by Naeem Hayat, and reimagines Shakespeare’s best-loved comedy through a darker, contemporary lens.
The atmospheric production is now playing at the Globe’s intimate, candlelit indoor theatre the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, before visiting Shakespeare North Playhouse, Leeds Playhouse, Bristol Old Vic, and Oxford Playhouse through early 2026.
Roughan, known for her striking reinterpretations of classics, said the production will “explore some of the darker elements of Shakespeare’s well-known comedy, turning it on its head and asking us to reexamine its themes and subject matter.”
Set against a backdrop of political unrest and environmental imbalance, this Dream unfolds as four lovers flee an oppressive society into a forest torn apart by the warring Fairy King and Queen. As jealousy and enchantment blur reality, the story asks whether this midsummer fantasy might, in fact, be a chilling winter’s dream.
Photos: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Cast and creative team
The cast features Hedydd Dylan as Hippolyta / Titania (The Comedy of Errors – RSC, The Merry Wives of Windsor – Globe), Dannie Harris (A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Antic Disposition, Pride and Prejudice *sort of) as Ensemble / Cover, Jack Humphrey as Quince / Egeus, Lou Jackson as Demetrius / Cobweb, Pria Kalsi (The Last Quiz Night on Earth, Oxford Girls) as Flute / Child, Danny Kirrane (Skins, Jerusalem) as Bottom, Tiwa Lade (My Father’s Fable, Great Expectations) as Hermia / Mustardseed, Ben Lynn as Ensemble / Cover, Michael Marcus (The Invention of Love, Who Killed My Father) as Theseus / Oberon, David Olaniregun (Romeo and Juliet – Globe, Andor) as Lysander / Moth, Tara Tijani (The Merry Wives of Windsor, The School for Scandal – RSC) as Helena / Peaseblossom, and Sergo Vares (The New Real – RSC/Headlong, People, Places & Things) as Puck.
The creative team includes design by Max Johns, lighting and candlelight design by Joshie Harriette, and sound design by Nicola T Chang, with dramaturgy by Frank Peschier and movement direction by Malik Nashad Sharpe. The production is cast by Becky Paris CDG, Head of Casting at Shakespeare’s Globe.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is now playing at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse in London until 31 January 2026.
Book tickets to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Shakespeare’s Globe
Shakespeare's Globe, London
Related News
As You Like It Reviews: critics agree it’s a delightful romp that stays in the shallow end
First look: rehearsal images released for Headlong’s major revival of August Wilson’s Fences, ahead of its Lyric Hammersmith run
“I want them to feel magic. I want them to feel alive”: Emily Lim on reinventing A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Globe
Love’s Labour’s Lost reviews: critics split over the Globe’s flamenco-fuelled Shakespeare
Latest News
Broadway legend Patti LuPone returns to the London Coliseum for Valentine’s Day 2027
Helen of Troy never got to tell her side. Watch the trailer for the play that does
After a sell-out world tour, The Choir of Man returns to the West End this Christmas
