A production by Shakespeare’s Globe and Headlong with Bristol Old Vic and Leeds Playhouse
By William Shakespeare
Director Holly Race Roughan
Co-director Naeem Hayat
The world’s no longer what it seems.
Following their hugely successful A Raisin in the Sun in 2024, Oxford Playhouse associate company Headlong returns to our stage.
To escape a society ruled by tyrannical law, four young lovers flee to the forest beyond the city walls. Unbeknownst to them, the world of the woods has been unsettled by a fierce battle between the Fairy King and Queen, Oberon and Titania, over the ownership of a stolen child.
Snow starts to fall in summer as the dispute rages on, and more people fall victim to the jealousy-fuelled forces of the powerful pair, and the disturbing spells of Oberon’s unruly lackey, Puck. As day turns to night, and reality becomes illusion, can anyone stop the Dream from becoming a nightmare?
Following 2022’s ‘extraordinary’ ★★★★ (The Observer) co-production of Henry V, Shakespeare’s Globe collaborates once again with ‘hugely influential’ (Time Out) touring theatre company Headlong to shine candlelight on the shadowy underbelly of one of Shakespeare’s most-loved plays.
Headlong’s Artistic Director Holly Race Roughan directs, with co-direction from Naeem Hayat (The Comedy of Errors, 2023/24).
Discover the magic of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream as you’ve never seen it before.
This production is generously supported by Charles Holloway OBE.
A £2.75 booking fee per transaction applies to this event across all channels – website, phone and in-person bookings at the Box Office. The fee is waived for members, schools, groups and access bookers.
Dates & times:
Tuesday 24 to Saturday28 March 2026
Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 7.30pm
Thursday and Saturday at 2.30pm and 7.30pm
Running time:
2 hours 15 minutes, including an interval
Age guidance:
12+
Content guidance:
This show contains loud noises, strong language, scenes of sexual content, drug use and gunshots.
About Oxford Playhouse
Oxford Playhouse and its Burton Taylor Studio present and produce several live performances and feature a rich array of British and international dramas, family entertainment, contemporary dance and music, student and amateur shows, comedy, lectures and poetry.
The Playhouse not only produces and tours its own theatrical productions, but it also fosters creativity through its Artists in Residence program and the Playhouse Plays Out series, which brings unique events to various locations across the county.
The theatre’s Participation Team engages over 15,000 individuals annually, offering an extensive range of activities, including post-show discussions, workshops, work experience opportunities, holiday programs, a youth theatre, and a company for young performers.
Oxford Playhouse stands dedicated to its mission of being a Playhouse for all, striving to ignite inspiration and bring about transformative experiences through its commitment to creativity on its stages, within its community and online.
To provide the best experiences, we and our partners use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us and our partners to process personal data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site and show (non-) personalized ads. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Click below to consent to the above or make granular choices. Your choices will be applied to this site only. You can change your settings at any time, including withdrawing your consent, by using the toggles on the Cookie Policy, or by clicking on the manage consent button at the bottom of the screen.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
