Sydney Theatre Company’s Resident Director Kip Williams will be diving back into the world of Shakespeare later this year, bringing what is promised to be a bold new staging of the perennial favourite, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, to the Sydney Opera House stage.
This new production will feature ABC’s Cleverman star Rob Collins as Lysander; and Honey Debelle from STC’s Arcadia and ABC’s ANZAC Girls as Helena. Brandon McClelland, also of ANZAC Girls, will play Demetrius; whilst Josh McConville will take on the role of the ever popular, Bottom.
And behind the scenes, the set design comes from Robert Cousins, lighting design from Damien Cooper, and Williams is once again teaming up with Alice Babidge, who will be providing the costume design.
In Williams’ re-staging of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, there will be a particular emphasis on the exhilaration, terror and danger associated with sexual awakening, with the play tracking the explosion of yearning and desire unleashed as the four young characters defy expectations and elope into the forest. The sense of magic and enchantment will remain, but STC have promised this will be no fairy tale – perhaps giving the nod that this production might prove to be a slightly darker retelling than some other past productions.
Though it’s safe to say that this Shakespearean favourite is in good hands with Williams, the director last year won a Helpmann Award for the Tennessee Williams play Suddenly Last Summer and is nominated again this year for his production of Love and Information by Caryl Churchill; and that without mentioning his previous productions of Macbeth (Starring Hugo Weaving) and Romeo & Juliet both for Sydney Theatre Company.
Sydney Theatre Company’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream runs from 12th September until 22nd October in the Drama Theatre at the Sydney Opera House. For more information and ticketing visit HERE or call the box office on 02 9250 1777
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