Follow the Dream at Shakespeare North this February

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is heading for Shakespeare North Playhouse next month direct from the Globe in London.

Shakespeare’s much-loved sprite-ly comedy will be staged at the Prescot venue’s Cockpit Theatre from February 4-7 at the start of a national tour.

The show, which explores the darker side of the Bard's seemingly mischievous tale, is a co-production between Shakespeare’s Globe and Headlong (with Bristol Old Vic and Leeds Playhouse).

To escape a society ruled by tyrannical law, four young lovers flee to the forest beyond the city walls.

But unbeknown to them, the world of the woods has been turned upside down by a fierce battle between the Fairy King and Queen, Oberon and Titania, over the ownership of a stolen child.

As the dispute rages on, more people fall victim to the jealousy-fuelled forces of the powerful pair and the disturbing spells of Oberon’s unruly Puck. As day turns to night, reality becomes illusion, and snow starts to fall in summer, can anyone stop the Dream from becoming a nightmare?

Director Holly Race Roughan says: “The world of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a turbulent one, the natural environment is upside down and unpredictable, and the political and social landscape is on edge, creating a sense of tension that we are all experiencing today.

“This new staging will explore some of the darker elements of Shakespeare’s well-known comedy, turning it on its head and asking us to reexamine its themes and subject matter.

“Following a highly successful collaboration on Henry V, it is a joy to be partnering once again with Shakespeare’s Globe and our committed national partners to allow audiences to meet this play in the moment we are in.”

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the opening production of a busy 2026 season on the Prescot theatre’s main stage. Among other highlights are Michael Starke and Sarah White in Jim Cartwright’s Two, Dash Arts’ Our Public House, and Jessica Swale’s riotous new feminist comedy Nell Gwynn in a co-production with Theatre by the Lake and Storyhouse.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream comes to Shakespeare North Playhouse from February 4-7. More details and ticket HERE