Darren Raymond is the Artistic Director of Intermission Youth who will stage their new adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, titled MSND at Chelsea Theatre.
The timeless quality of Shakespearean dialogue reaches new heights in MSND. Interwoven into the original narrative are themes around identity, relationships and substance abuse. The company combines the mystical narrative of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with a contemporary spin that remains current with London’s young people.
The production opens on 16 and 17 November at the Chelsea Theatre, with previews from 9 November and its final performance on 3 December.
Intermission Youth is bringing MSND to Chelsea Theatre, what can you tell us about the show?
MSND is a new drug that hits the streets and once taken, it gives you the power to quote Shakespeare. It’s a radical re-telling of Shakespeare’s classic comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. You will recognise Shakespeare’s original play but you will also be transported into a new world, where Shakespeare meets the present-day vibrant culture of young London.
Tell us a little more about Intermission Youth and what the group aims to achieve.
Intermission Youth is about the empowerment of young people. We do this through mentoring and creating a community where young people feel safe enough to explore their creative gifts. We work with young people who need to be nourished in order to discover their true potential. Intermission Youth offers that engagement; we provide care, nurture and love through all our programmes.
Our work extends into schools, pupil referral units and prisons all over London. The aim is to uplift young people; to make them more confident, self-aware and inspired to make positive contributions in their respective communities.
Many of the young people, who have experienced Intermission Youth, have gone onto achieve amazing things in their lives: we have seen them go back into education as students and teachers, tread the boards of very reputable theatre stages, including the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Globe, the Royal Court, and much more.
And what was it about Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream that made it perfect for an adaptation by Intermission Youth?
After a tough couple of years with Covid and the global racial movement, we knew this year’s play needed to be a comedy. We wanted our young people to reconnect with the idea of “playing”, we wanted to see them laugh again and they wanted to laugh too.
Midsummer Night’s Dream gives us plenty of opportunity to do just that. In many ways the play is absurd, it’s hard to believe all the things that Shakespeare presents to us in this play, we are encouraged more than ever to use our imagination. It’s a beautiful thing to be reminded that we can create our own stories and they can have happy endings.
How do you think both the cast and audiences will be able to relate to this story?
Intermission Youth has been remixing Shakespeare’s stories for the past 15 years; his themes remain intact in our adaptations because they are still recognisable in today’s world. MSND explores addictions, relationships and coming of age; there is something in there for everyone. The cast have a special relationship with the story as they devised it, so there are things in the play that are inspired by their personal experiences. I hope audiences will be able to relate to the situations these characters find themselves in.
You’ll direct the production, what do you think will be the biggest challenge for you?
The biggest challenge I always find when I am directing is collating all the different ideas in the rehearsal room, and enabling a space where we all believe that “our” story is being told. It’s an even bigger challenge when it’s Shakespeare, because there is already such a high expectation for a certain type of story-telling, which is also associated with a certain type of audience.
We challenge all these stereotypes through our work, from casting through to audience development. All these conversations are explored in our rehearsal room, I feel a huge responsibility to help change the narrative around Shakespeare’s work and our access to it.
What would you say to anyone thinking of booking to see MSND?
Don’t think about it. Book it! This is not just a play, it’s a movement toward a better world, and we would love to have you on the journey with us.
