Prague Shakespeare Company, in partnership with the Summer Shakespeare Festival presents
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
Contemporary Modern English translation by Jeffrey Whitty
Directed by Hammed Animashaun and Guy Roberts
Performed in English29 & 30 July @ 20:30 (8:30pm)
Prague Castle Gardens
Click here to visit the Summer Shakespeare Festival website
After more than 16 months without live on-stage performances, PSC is BACK!
Prague Shakespeare Company is honored to cooperate once again with the Summer Shakespeare Festival to present a new English-language production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (with Czech surtitles). Directed by Hammed Animashaun and PSC Artistic Director Guy Roberts, this fresh take on Shakespeare’s timeless classic is the perfect escape for audiences of all ages to come together and celebrate the wonder of Shakespeare and the magic of falling in love after our time of isolation because of coronavirus.
Set in a magical wood filled with fantastical fairies, sprites and legendary creatures, with original music by Patrick Neil Doyle, This production features a new version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, translated into contemporary modern English by Tony Award–winning and Oscar-nominated storyteller Jeffrey Whitty. This Midsummer cuts through the centuries to bring audiences a fresh, moment-by-moment take, designed to flow as effortlessly for contemporary audiences as Shakespeare’s beloved classic played to the Elizabethans. This translation was written as part of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Play On! commissioning program. These translations present the work of Shakespeare in language accessible to today’s audiences while never losing the beauty of Shakespeare’s verse and retaining most of the original text. This production is supported in part by a generous grant from the Hitz Foundation.
Prague Shakespeare Company is delighted to announce that international TV, film, and theatre star Hammed Animashaun (Amazon’s Wheel of Time, Royal National Theatre) will join PSC Artistic Director Guy Roberts as co-director of the English-language production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream performing as part of the Summer Shakespeare Festival (Letní Shakespearovské slavnosti) at Prague Castle on 29 & 30 July, 2021.
Roberts says, “I am thrilled that Hammed has joined our production as co-director. I have admired his work for a long time and it is a tremendous honor to share this experience with such a gifted artist. Hammed’s performances on stage have quickly established him as one of the great theatre artists working today in the UK and his recent award-winning performance as Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream has defined the role for a new generation. Hammed’s impact in rehearsal was immediate and powerful. The rehearsals have been extraordinary – insightful, touching and very funny. We are laughing all the time. This is going to be a very special Dream.”
On making his Czech theatre debut and working with PSC Hammed says, “I’m very, very excited to be in Prague co-directing with the amazing legend Guy Roberts. It’s my favorite play of all time and to be given the opportunity to co-direct is a dream (pun intended).”
PSC is the professional English-language theatre of the Czech Republic and in previous years for the Summer Shakespeare Festival we provided English language productions of the Globe’s Hamlet, Patrick Doyle’s Shakespeare in Concert, Richard III, Measure for Measureand Othello.
This year our English-language offering will be given an exciting new twist by presenting Shakespeare’s play in a new Modern English Tongue translation by Tony Award-winning writer Jeffrey Whittey. The production will also feature Czech surtitles.
Tickets for the production may be booked at www.shakespeare.cz
More information about PSC and A Midsummer Night’s Dream may be found at www.pragueshakespeare.org
A Midsummer Night’s Dream PRODUCTION TEAM
For this Dream, PSC Artistic Director Guy Roberts – who will co-direct the play with international TV and theatre star Hammed Animashaun (Amazon’s Wheel of Time and Royal National Theatre) – has assembled a stellar international cast of Shakespeare artists including American TV star and PSC Associate Artist Lane Davies as Oberon, PSC leading actress Jessica Boone as Titania, PSC Associate Artist Taylor Napier (Amazon’s Wheel of Time and Hanna) as Demetrius, along with other PSC Associate Artists Laura Baranik as Helena, Jeff Smith as Bottom, Vanessa Gendron as Puck, Karan Veer Khurana as Flute, Scott Bellefeuille as Quince, Elissa Levitt as Hippolyta and Bob Boudreaux as Egeus as well as PSC regulars Scott Sophos as Theseus, Sarah Bentley as Snout, Grant Podelco as Snug, Valeria Vasilova as Starveling and Jan Unger as Philostrate. They are joined by new-comers Fedorah Philippeaux as Hermia and Mike Zaharczuk as Lysander. The fairies include Marie Kruziková, Sofia Mayorga, Františka Brzobohatá, Zuzana Palenikova, Sandra Osgerby, Hana Tomasova, Katharyn Mayo and Megan Fitzpatrick among others. Patrick Neil Doyle provides an original score with scenic designs by Markéta Trösterová-Fantová (Artistic director of Prague Quadrennial), lighting designs by Přemysl Janda, make-up and hair designs by Eva Nyklíčková, and costume designs by Eva Bellefeuille. They are joined by Eric Sammons, Samantha Bass and Poonam Suthar A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, translated into the modern tongue by Jeffrey Whitty. This production is supported by a generous grant from Play On Shakespeare and The Hitz Foundation.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream CAST
The Fairies
Oberon – Lane Davies
Titania – Jessica Boone
Puck – Vanessa Gendron
Peaseblossom – Marie Kruziková
Mustardseed – Megan Fitzpatrick
Cobweb – Zuzana Palenikova
Moth – Sandra Veronica Stańczyk
Gossamer – Františka Brzobohatá
Zephyr – Hana Tomasova
Silkworm – Katharyn Mayo
Mab – Sofia Mayorga
The Athenians
Helena – Laura Baranik
Demetrius – Taylor Napier
Hermia – Fedorah Philippeaux
Lysander – Mike Zaharczuk
Theseus – Scott Sophos
Hippolyta – Elissa Levitt
Egeus – Bob Boudreaux
Philostrate – Jan Unger
The Mechanicals
Bottom – Jeff Smith
Quince – Scott Bellefeuille
Flute – Karan Veer Khurana
Snout – Sarah Bentley
Starveling – Valeria Vasilova
Snug – Grant Podelco
Production Team
Directors – Hammed Animashaun & Guy Roberts
Composer – Patrick Neil Doyle
Costume Designer – Eva Bellefeuille
Scenic Designer – Markéta Trösterová-Fantová
Lighting Designer – Přemysl Janda
Make-up and Hair Designer – Eva Nyklíčková
Production Stage Manager – Eric Sammons
Stage Manager – Samantha Bass
Assistant Stage Manager – Poonam Suthar