Creation Theatre has decided to go all out with not one, but two, outdoor, summer Shakespeare plays to celebrate its 30th anniversary.
Which is why you’ll be able to enjoy both Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Wolfson College in Oxford this summer.
You may’ve seen A Midsummer Night’s Dream there last summer ‘READ OUR REVIEW HERE: A family-friendly triumph’; a wonderful, funny, uplifting production, which unsurprisingly sold out.
So of course they’re bringing it back, Creation’s Helen Eastman saying: “By the end of the run, every performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream was sold out with long waiting lists, even though we kept adding rows of chairs. And so many people asked us to bring it back, that we have. We want everyone to be able to see it.”
‘we know that if we’re still laughing, the audience will be too’
“As for Twelfth Night, it’s one of our favourite Shakespeare plays, so we want to make it a really joyful, playful, music-filled ensemble production for all ages, with lots of fun, dressing up and maybe some cricket. It feels like the right choice for our monumental summer programme,” Helen adds.
Which calls for a monumentally skilled cast, able to flip between the two classic Shakespeare comedies. Cue Rachel Adeyoluwa, Hayley Murray and Andy Owens, a few of the cast members who meet us to discuss the massive and exciting challenge ahead.
So how are they feeling about it? “We’ve never done Twelfth Night before so it’s great getting to know a whole new cast of characters, but it’s also quite unusual to return to a production like MND with the same cast, company and discipline, and we want to continue doing it justice. We know and trust each other,” Rachel says.
‘Wolfson College is super central but secluded. it’s like being in our own little world. We even saw some deer there last year’
“Which means there is a nervous excitement in rehearsals, but we’re really enjoying the challenge, and there is so much jollity and comedy to explore in both of these plays, with wacky costumes, amazing music by Alex Silverman and a great setting. And both plays are about being surrounded by nature – being immersed in their worlds.
“But they also have lots of differences – Twelfth Night isn’t all faeries and magic like MND, but sometimes grief and comedy go hand-in-hand. And they are both very suited to the grounds of Wolfson College. It’s super central but secluded, like we are in our own little world. We even saw some deer there last year. But it’s also family-friendly with lots of garden games, so the audience is very much a part of it,” Hayley says.
Andy Owens joins in: “We’ve really enjoyed going back to MND. It still feels really fresh, but we’ve been bringing new ideas to the rehearsal rooms, and coming at it a bit differently. We know that if we’re still laughing, the audience will be too because there are still so many people who didn’t get to see it and missed out.”
‘come to both because everyone loves a Midsummer night’s dream, and Twelfth Night brings something new to the table’
“So come to both because everyone loves MND, and Twelfth Night brings something new to the table. They are both laugh-out-loud funny but sentimental at the same time, and they really are for everyone; from kids and teenagers to your nan. Everyone will all have a brilliant time,” Hayley promises.
“Plus it’s our 30th anniversary year, so come and support Creation. It’s an institution. And besides my Malvolio stockings look great,” Andy says.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Oxford, July 8-August 14, Wolfson College Cricket Ground, Oxford https://creationtheatre.co.uk/show/a-midsummer-nights-dream-2/
Twelfth Night, Wolfson College Cricket Ground, Oxford, July 16 – August 16 https://creationtheatre.co.uk/show/summer-shakespeare-twelfth-night/
TOURING DATE: July 22 – Earth Trust Centre
