RSC & UNICORN THEATRE PRESENT A MAGICAL NEW CO-PRODUCTION OF A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
Date Issued: 11 June 2025
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For the first time ever, the Royal Shakespeare Company is joining forces with the Unicorn Theatre on a new co-production of Shakespeare's riotous tale of mischief, magic and mayhem; A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Suitable for ages 7+, this major new co-production will run from Saturday 21 March to Sunday 3 May 2026 at the UK's leading children's theatre, the Unicorn, in Southwark, London.
The production will then visit The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon, in the summer of 2026, with dates and on-sale details to be confirmed later this year.
The production will be directed by the Unicorn’s Artistic Director Rachel Bagshaw and adapted by Associate Director Robin Belfield in a riotous retelling, which promises to delight young audiences and their families.
Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey, RSC Co-Artistic Directors said:
"“We are absolutely delighted to be partnering with the Unicorn Theatre on this magical and riotous re-telling of Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ made with young audiences in mind. Like the Unicorn, we believe passionately in the power of theatre and great storytelling to bring joy and deepen our understanding of the world around us, whatever our age.
"This latest production, arriving in The Other Place in summer 2026, builds upon our family activities and follows in the footsteps of accessible, bite-size stagings of Shakespeare’s As You Like It in the Holloway Garden Theatre in 2024 and Joanna Bowman’s 80-minute edit of The Two Gentlemen of Verona for families, coming to The Other Place this August. "We cannot wait to welcome Unicorn Associate Director Robin Belfield back to the RSC, following his joyous production of First Encounters: Twelfth Night in 2023 and look forward to collaborating with Artistic Director Rachel Bagshaw to inspire the next generation of young theatre audiences.”
ENDS
For more information, please contact Kate Evans (Head of Media Relations) on 07920 244 434 or email kate.evans@rsc.org.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS
The RSC is supported using public funding by Arts Council England
The work of the RSC is supported by the Culture Recovery Fund
The RSC is generously supported by RSC America
Miranda Curtis CMG – Lead Production Supporter
TikTok £10 Tickets sponsored by TikTok
The RSC Acting Companies are generously supported by The Gatsby Charitable Foundation
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s mission is to bring people together to experience stories that deepen our understanding of ourselves, each other and the world around us, and that bring joy. Shakespeare’s restless exploration of all of human nature is our inspiration and touchstone.
The Company’s roots lie in the bold vision of a local brewer, Edward Fordham Flower, who in 1879 established a theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon with his son Charles. The RSC as we know it today was formed by Sir Peter Hall, whose ambition was to produce new plays alongside those of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. We continue this today across our three permanent theatres in Stratford – the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, the Swan Theatre and The Other Place – and indeed online and around the globe. We believe everybody’s life can be enriched by culture and creativity. Our transformative Creative Learning and Engagement programmes reach over half a million young people and adults each year. We have collaborated with generations of the very best theatre makers and we continue to nurture the talent of the future.
Unicorn Theatre
Transforming young lives through theatre.
At the Unicorn, we create new, inventive and enthralling theatre experiences for children aged up to 13. Every year, we welcome over 60,000 families and schools through our doors, and many thousands more through our tours and Unicorn Online.
We believe that young people of all ages, perspectives and abilities have the right to experience exciting, entertaining and inspiring work and we actively seek out children who wouldn’t otherwise attend, offering free tickets where needed. Through our Creative Hub, we connect artists making work for the Unicorn with local children aged 0 – 13 years as creative collaborators, resulting in first encounters for children as theatre makers. We make space for children to inform creative processes and be the expert in their own view of the world. To read more, visit unicorntheatre.com
Arts Council England is the national development body for arts and culture across England, working to enrich people’s lives. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to visual art, reading to dance, music to literature and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2018 and 2022, we will invest £1.45 billion of public money from government and an estimated £860 million from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country. www.artscouncil.org.uk
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