Nine actors. Ninety minutes. One unforgettable dream. Step into a bold new vision of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream adapted by the Tony Award-winning writer of Avenue Q, Jeff Whitty, at Edinburgh Fringe this August.
Fresh, fast and fiercely funny, Edinburgh audiences will be the first to experience this iconic modern verse translation directed by Drama Desk nominee Kim Weild when the UK premiere is brought to life by a cast and team of Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama artists. Bursting with magic, mischief and queer transformative joy, this is not ‘your mother’s Midsummer’.
“In a world where it’s easy to feel defeated, Midsummer! is all about choosing ecstasy,” says director Kim Weild. “We’re remixing Shakespeare with Appalachian folk and house music, queer liberation, and a touch of Pittsburgh’s industrial vibe. Created with the brilliant Jeff Whitty in the room, the show is a joyous act of resistance that invites everyone to share in laughter and hope.”
This co-production with Play On Shakespeare is the grand finale of the CMU Center for New Work’s inaugural season. Midsummer! not only marks the start of this ground-breaking new work program and partnership, but in the university’s 125th anniversary year, CMU students will bring their work to Scotland – the birthplace of Andrew Carnegie – symbolically returning the institution’s creative work to its origins while placing emerging artists on one of the world’s most prestigious international stages.
“I’m honoured and delighted to work with the beautifully-trained student artists at Carnegie Mellon,” says Whitty. “Their enthusiasm brings life not just to my adaptation, but to me as an artist. I hope that we leave audiences giddy at curtain call, showing how fresh Shakespeare’s humour and wisdom remain four-plus centuries on.”
Midsummer! will run at the Assembly Rooms Bijou from 6-19 August, giving Fringe-goers an opportunity to be first to catch the next generation of Broadway breathe fresh life into Shakespeare’s classic comedy.
Full details and tickets HERE
