Shakespeare’s Globe has announced a new production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream as part of its acclaimed Playing Shakespeare with Deutsche Bank education programme.
Directed by Globe Director of Education Lucy Cuthbertson, the fast-paced 90-minute adaptation will run in the Globe Theatre from 4 March to 11 April 2027, with dedicated schools’ performances beginning on 25 February.
Created specifically for young audiences, the production reimagines Shakespeare’s tale of love, mischief and transformation. The story follows a group of amateur performers rehearsing a play while fairies and animals run riot, and four lovers are forced to leave behind their digital comforts and embrace the natural world.
The long-running Playing Shakespeare with Deutsche Bank programme provides more than 26,000 free tickets each year to pupils aged 11 to 16 from non-selective state secondary schools in London and Birmingham. It also offers subsidised tickets for schools nationwide, alongside workshops, CPD sessions and learning resources designed to support students studying Shakespeare.
Over the course of its 21-year partnership with Deutsche Bank, the initiative has delivered more than 500 performances, over 360,000 free tickets and more than 2,300 free workshops for students.
Director Lucy Cuthbertson said: “It’s a real honour to direct the Playing Shakespeare production as the project is arguably the most impactful work we deliver at Shakespeare’s Globe. With thousands of free tickets allocated to schools across London & Birmingham, we hope that the show offers an opportunity normally out of reach to many young people. We are very excited to welcome students to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, for fun, frights and magic in the forest.”
Alongside the production, Shakespeare’s Globe will present A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Family Workshop during the Easter half-term. Designed for children aged 9 to 11 and their families, the sessions will use interactive games and activities to explore the play’s language, characters and themes.
Cuthbertson has led learning and family work at Shakespeare’s Globe since 2019 and previously directed Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth for the Playing Shakespeare with Deutsche Bank programme. Her family productions Midsummer Mechanicals and Rough Magic were both nominated for Olivier Awards.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
