A History of the RSC in 50 Objects (Online)

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A Midsummer Night's Dream, 1999

Director:  Michael Boyd

This production was the sixth play that Michael Boyd had directed after joining the RSC as an associate director in 1996. The costumes were modern and the set was stripped back to a white curved wall with five doorways.

Boyd wanted a strong sense of the play's social world to shine through. He said '(it) won't remind you of a mythical Athens, but of a fundamentalist society in the vice-like grip of Puritanism and arranged marriage. That's the world Shakespeare was exploring'.

Critics praised the clarity of the spoken word and the rhythm of the poetry in this production. It was considered to be a fresh and very modern take on the play.