“A Midsummer Night’s Dream is near perfect,” says director Toby Hulse. “The plotting is exquisite, and the way he threads the three separate stories together at the pace of a farce is breathtaking.”
This September, Southwark Playhouse Borough stages a brand-new production of Shakespeare’s best-loved comedy, directed by Hulse and designed for audiences aged 8 to 88. In a major outreach effort, the Playhouse is also offering 2,000 free tickets to school children across Southwark and Lambeth, a move designed to open the doors of classical theatre to a new generation.
Making Shakespeare Fun — and Accessible
Set in Edwardian London in 1905, the production reframes Shakespeare’s story within a playful new device. “On a wet and dreary afternoon,” Hulse explains, “the Jenkins siblings decide to put on a play. Nancy insists there should be a Queen, Robert wants pirates and a horrible death, and Cecil wants to be both a lion and a fairy.”
This family-driven frame becomes both a storytelling tool and a bridge for younger viewers. “The family staging the play are primarily there to explain the story to us,” says Hulse. “Any time we in the audience might be confused, one sibling can ask another what is going on. It’s actually very much like children play – children narrate their game as they go along, bagsy their favourite characters, and tell each other what to do next.”
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream is near perfect,” says director Toby Hulse. “The plotting is exquisite, and the way he threads the three separate stories together at the pace of a farce is breathtaking.”
By cutting Shakespeare’s full text down to a 75-minute performance — while retaining around 95% of the original language — Hulse’s version is focused, fast-paced and filled with theatrical imagination. “The result,” he says, “is 100% the spirit of the original.”
Reaching New Audiences
David Workman, Head of Participation at Southwark Playhouse, sees the upcoming run as a major milestone in the theatre’s mission. “This production will be our biggest show for younger audiences yet,” he says. “It shows a real commitment on behalf of our Artistic Director in terms of how he wants to welcome new and emerging audiences in.”
The free schools programme is a core part of that ambition. “We are so excited, in our 32nd year of existence, to present A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which will allow us to welcome over 2,000 young people from across Southwark and Lambeth to see it with their schools at special matinee performances,” says Workman.
The response to previous shows has been powerful. Reflecting on their last Shakespeare production, he shares, “One teacher commented how ‘this interpretation made my students feel as though Shakespeare could be for them and what a thing to witness! Thank you so much for making Shakespeare accessible in every sense of the word.’”
A Childlike Imagination on Stage
In line with Southwark Playhouse’s history of imaginative staging, the new production promises surprise and transformation. “We’re going to create a world that reflects the imagination that we all have as children when we play,” says Hulse. “In a child’s eye, when they pick up a stick, it becomes a sword, or a wand, or a spoon, or whatever is needed at the time. Our production will do the same, transforming the world around us in strange and unexpected ways.”
And there’s one final touch Hulse is especially looking forward to: “We’ve set ourselves the challenge of bringing a real fairy on to the stage at the very end of the play. I’m particularly excited about that surprise!”
The Role of Humour
While Shakespeare’s comedy may seem intimidating on the page, Hulse insists that humour is its most direct path to accessibility. “It should make us laugh,” he says plainly. “What is exciting about the play is that it has all sorts of humour in it, from the sort of painful observation of human behaviour that we might expect from The Office, to the sort of daft slapstick we might expect from The Chuckle Brothers.”
He adds, “That wide-ranging sense of humour is found in all of his plays. Some of his best jokes are found in gory tragedies — in fact, the first recorded knock-knock joke is in Macbeth.”
Keeping the Heart of the Story
Adapting Shakespeare for family audiences is a balancing act, and one Hulse approaches with clarity. “It’s not Shakespeare’s fault – he wasn’t trying to make his plays difficult – but, as he wrote A Midsummer Night’s Dream nearly 450 years ago, there is a lot in the full version of the play which is less accessible to us now.”
His adaptation started with a five-minute version using only the lines that delivered the plot. From there, he added back in moments based on one question: “Would we still find this funny or clear today?”
The result is a story-first staging that retains Shakespeare’s language but strips away potential barriers to entry. “The story, told simply and clearly, is ultimately the most important thing,” says Hulse.
Building a Legacy for Young Audiences
Southwark Playhouse has long been recognised for its dedication to community engagement. “Participation, engagement and education have been core parts of the Playhouse’s remit from its very first days – one of our founders was a former headteacher,” Workman notes.
That mission continues to evolve. “As an organisation, we want a young person to have a positive experience at Southwark Playhouse from the moment they set foot inside our door, to the moment they leave,” says Workman. “That includes what happens on stage – and we hope that through the magic, comedy and representation during this production, young people will see themselves as the audiences and theatre-makers of the future.”
The commitment extends beyond the performance. “We have an extensive young people’s programme, and we will be making sure to pass on details of those to every school who comes along, so that some of them may be able to engage with us further through participating in our projects.”
A Call to the Industry
For Workman, this production is not just about one show — it reflects a wider challenge. “I think when we think about reach, we need to think about quality, rather than quantity, and impact,” he says. “The industry can get a bit caught up in assuming that big, flashy and exciting is something everyone needs access to – when actually, a young person gaining a newfound sense of confidence through taking part in a workshop is just as valid.”
“…we hope that through the magic, comedy and representation during this production, young people will see themselves as the audiences and theatre-makers of the future.”
David Workman – Head of Participation at Southwark Playhouse
He’s also wary of over-engineering ‘accessibility’. “Young people will sniff out embarrassing attempts to pander to them in an instant. So we try and create theatre that is exciting, original and presented in a way that makes it easier to understand the gist of what is going on.”
Theatre, he says, must meet young people where they are — but never talk down to them. “Fundamentally, these plays are great stories. Shakespeare wasn’t particularly reverent with his source texts, so we aren’t always either!”
‘They’re in for a Real Treat’
Looking ahead to opening night, Hulse is energised. “It is always a privilege to work on one of his plays,” he says. “And no matter how many times you see or read them, you will always find something new.”
However, the proof of any play is in the consuming, and Toby can’t wait for the feast to begin! “I am really excited to be sharing the play with an audience who may be encountering it for the first time. They’re in for a real treat.”
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