Ensemble Shakespeare Company Brings A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM to The Flea
Eight performances will be staged from July 17-27, 2025, at the Flea Theater.
Ensemble Shakespeare Company (ESC), New York City's innovative ensemble for classical theater, is presenting A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare's classic comedy told with the company's unique and intimate style of storytelling.
ESC Executive Director Dylan Diehl* directs an ensemble cast of fifteen, including Chloe Champken, Dylan Diehl, Susannah Hoffman*, Dennis Kear*, Gerrard Lobo, Jesse Cao Long, Paul Marchegiani, Diego Millan, Celeste Moratti, Ella Olesen*, Katie Pelensky, Erin Roth*, Joe Staton, Lawrence E. Street*, and Colleen Smith Wallnau*. Eight performances will be staged from July 17-27, 2025, at the Flea Theater, 20 Thomas Street, New York, NY 10007.
Four lovers escape the confines of the city to a forest ruled by battling fairies. A royal wedding is prepared after a brutal war, and an amateur troupe rehearses a play after a long day of work. As these worlds intertwine in delightful chaos, characters navigate truths and illusions about who they are and what they value. Though arguably Shakespeare's best-known comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream asks us to consider profound questions about the nature of love and art. ESC's Midsummer thwarts conventions of gender and traditional setting so that our audience can immerse themselves in the poetry and wildness of the storytelling. The production utilizes innovative theatrical techniques to literally paint our scenes and actors in bold colors as the story unfolds.
“While A Midsummer Night's Dream can so often be reduced to a romp with glittery fairy wings, our Midsummer is expansive in every way. A 15-member cast and an unabridged script allow us to create Midsummer in all its colors. The play's magnificence lies in its size: it traverses worlds, class, and gender through the deftness and beauty of Shakespeare's words,” shares Diehl. “Every character touches the heights of intellect and imagination but also falls into abject confusion and absurdity. Our nontraditional casting and focus on the extraordinary language of the play will challenge our audience to meet Midsummer anew.”
The runtime is approximately two hours, plus one 15-minute intermission.
General admission tickets are $25 and $45 with a limited number of $10 student tickets. For tickets, visit: EnsembleShakespeareCompany.com
A Midsummer Night's Dream is Ensemble Shakespeare Company's inaugural full production following 2024's Works in Progress and May's Works in Progress: Julius Caesar performances. Works in Progress (WIP) is the company's signature, one-night-only event, offering a glimpse into ESC's unique and innovative process, which focuses on utilizing ensemble and presence for storytelling.
Designers and production crew include - Artistic Director/Producer: Erin Roth; Director/Producer: Dylan Diehl; Associate Director: Chloe Champken; Set Designer: Lauren Helpern; Costume Designer: Kate Hartigan; Lighting Designer: Annie Garrett-Larsen; Fight Choreographer: Caitlin Hutson; Stage Manager/Production Manager: Sophia Alaniz; Assistant Production Manager: Olivia Battles Reap; House Manager: Elisa Paglia.
Elevating the teaching of British master voice coach and Shakespeare authority Patsy Rodenburg OBE, Ensemble Shakespeare Company (ESC) believes Shakespeare is for all. Through our intensive workshop process that values every character equally, we explore Shakespeare's heightened language in the present moment, connecting viscerally with audiences who become essential co-conspirators in our storytelling. Our bold ensemble approach and surprising casting choices shatter preconceived notions, inviting everyone to meet Shakespeare anew in all its complexity and brilliance. When plays like our Works in Progress: Julius Caesar are investigated without predetermined casting or staging, the result isn't mere presentation but true exploration that brings Shakespeare into our immediate present. Anyone can connect to Shakespeare when the plays are explored with clarity, craft, and connection. ESC's ensemble includes the audience in a shared responsibility for fathoming these challenging texts, creating the immediacy and intimacy only experienced in theatre. Through this communal and inclusive storytelling, we hold the mirror up to nature, reflecting our shared humanity and delivering theatre that moves, challenges, heals, and changes us. ESC also holds monthly "Friday Workouts," providing a space for actors to develop and refresh foundations in voice, speech, and presence through Rodenburg work.
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