Reading Rep Theatre Announces Full Cast For A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

Reading Rep Theatre today announces full cast for Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, in a new adaptation written and directed by Reading Rep Theatre's Founding Artistic Director Paul Stacey. Stacey directs Amy Ambrose, Beth Eyre, Mark Desebrock, Dave Fishley, Jonty Peach, and Charlotte Warner. The production, suitable for all the family, opens on 17 May, with previews from 11 May and runs until 5 June.

Paul Stacey, Artistic Director of Reading Rep Theatre, says today "It has been a tumultuous winter, but our new version of Shakespeare's timeless classic is designed to welcome audiences back with open arms. Come and celebrate with our actors, and your whole family, as we throw open the doors of our theatre once more for a dreamy midsummer party."

Associate Director: Christie O'Carroll; Movement Director: Chris Cuming;

Designer: Amy Watts; Sound Designer and Composer: Joe Dines;

Lighting Designer: Simeon Miller; Costume Supervisor: Fran Levin

A riotous, raucous, and riveting night out, A Midsummer Night's Dream is the story of love in all its confusion.

A professional acting troupe of six outrageous performers arrive in Reading to perform in celebration of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Mistakes, potions, and a couple of pints are sure to make the event one to remember.

Paul Stacey is the Founding Artistic Director of Reading Rep Theatre. For Reading Rep, he has directed numerous productions including A Christmas Carol, Dorian, Waiting for Godot, Miss Julie, A Little History of The World (a co-production with The Watermill Theatre) and Every You Every Me (a co-production with Oxford Playhouse). Prior to founding Reading Rep, Stacey was Literary Manager of the Old Red Lion Theatre and worked as a Director and Dramaturg at the Moscow Art Theatre, Punchdrunk Theatre Company and New Repertory Theatre. He has taught theatre history, acting and dramaturgy at Harvard University, and is a Dramaturgy graduate of The American Repertory Theatre/Moscow Art Theatre Institute at Harvard University.

Amy Ambrose plays Titania. Her theatre credits include Spitting Image (King's Head Theatre), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Brixton House), and Prurience (Southbank Centre). Her television credits include EastEnders and Casualty; and for film, Monochrome and After Louise.

Beth Eyre returns to Reading Rep to play Helena - she previously appeared in A Christmas Carol. Other theatre credits include Betrayal (Theatre Royal Bath), Twelfth Night (Shakespeare's Wanderer's), Heroin (VAULT Festival), Different from The Others (White Bear Theatre), and The Recruiting Officer (The Old Red Lion Theatre).

Mark Desebrock plays Lysander. His theatre credits include Twelfth Night, The Comedy of Errors and Pericles (Globe on tour), Hamlet (Almeida Theatre), Cis and Barbiche (York Theatre Royal/UK and Australian tour), Matilda, Mike and Dan (Pleasance Theatre), Beauty and the Beast, Molière (National Theatre), Pericles (Rose Theatre Kingston) and A Little Neck (Hampton Court Palace). His television credits include Hamlet and Fungus the Bogeyman; and for film, Anagram, Bright Star, Still Life and The Course.

Dave Fishley returns to Reading Rep to play Oberon/Bottom - he previously appeared in A Christmas Carol. Other theatre credits include The Gift (Eclipse Theatre), Our Country's Good (Nottingham Playhouse/UK tour), Macbeth (Theatre Severn), Queen Anne (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Of Mice and Men (Birmingham Rep/UK tour), Treasure Island (Birmingham Rep), All's Well That Ends Well, As You Like It, Hamlet (RSC), The Taming of the Shrew (Southwark Playhouse), Rough Crossings (Headlong/UK tour), The Electric Hills (Liverpool Everyman), Macbeth (Out of Joint/UK, Europe, world tour), The Odyssey, Paradise Lost (Bristol Old Vic), Dido, Queen of Carthage (Shakespeare's Globe), The Special Relationship (Theatre Royal York/UK tour), Crime and Punishment in Dalston (Arcola Theatre), The Nativity (Young Vic), Twelfth Night (Nuffield Southampton Theatres), Marat/Sade (National Theatre), Now You Know (Hampstead Theatre). For television, his credits include Moses Jones, Buried, Judge John Deed; and for film, Wasteland, Bridget Jones' Diary, Twice Upon A Yesterday and The Fifth Element.

Jonty Peach plays Demetrius. He is a recent graduate of The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. His theatre credits include Romeo and Juliet (UK tour).

Charlotte Warner plays Hermia. Her theatre credits include Great Train Robbery (UK tour), Her Ps and Qs (Tell Tale Tits), How to Make Me Happy (Spark Theatre/Lion and Unicorn Theatre), Attempt (Northcott Theatre/The Bike Shed Theatre), Pericles R&D (National Theatre), Frenemies (The Bunker), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Waterloo East), A Woman of No Importance and Beauty's Edge (The London Theatre).