Join us on March 13 for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look into Midsummer before watching the show from a VIP perspective.

THE SHOW
A classic Shakespeare comedy and one of his most popular works, A Midsummer Night’s Dream webs three interconnecting plots with singular thread: the impending wedding of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and Hippolyta. Coloring the story are the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of six amateur actors who are controlled and manipulated by the faires who inhabit the forest where much of the play is set.

THE PRODUCTION
Collaborating with ArtsEmerson’s production team is the acclaimed dream team that brought Warhorse to life, Tom Morris and Handspring Puppet Company. Using puppetry to tell Shakespeare’s story is rather symbolic in this show, as it is both the medium and the message. The combination of puppets alongside a company of brilliant actors nods to the coexistence of two worlds: the real and the spellbound. As we see quite transparently in Midsummer, elements like the mystical presence of fairies aren’t mere superstition, but a belief embedded in a community grappling with viability. This is a world where, thanks to Handspring, all objects are granted the right to life.

Based in Cape Town, South Africa, Handspring’s work has been presented in more than 30 countries around the world. Now a thriving contemporary art form, Handspring is always working to find the balance in puppetry between imagination and believability. Given the flare and creative vision with which Shakespeare wrote, it seems the elaborate nature of masks and figurines fit rather naturally into this production, allowing audiences to experience Shakespeare in an entirely new and visually jaw-dropping way. And as a resident of Millennium Place, you’ll get to enjoy it all from VIP seating, but not before getting a behind-the-scenes glimpse into this fantastical production.