A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM IS A BEWITCHING AND MYSTERIOUS BLEND OF AMOROUS PASSION AND MAGICAL ENCHANTMENT.

A timeless play, a fairy tale to captivate the mind, venturing into a universe that makes no distinction between the real world and the realm of the imagination. In a whirlwind of manifestations of love, unrequited, thwarted or misplaced, and of conflict, young people stand strong as their families attempt to prevail over their hearts. But A Midsummer Night’s Dream is more than intrigues of love, it is an invitation to explore secrets hidden away in the depths of our imagination.

The play is performed by a troupe of 15 actors, most of whom have been together for more than twenty years. With the Troupe du Théâtre de la Ville, the cast also includes Sabrina Ouazani who collaborated with Emmanuel Demarcy-Mota for Camus, and younger actors such as Edouard Eftimakis. Making a return at the theater is Elodie Bouchez, seen previously in Casimir et Caroline (2010), Victor ou les enfants au pouvoir (2012) and The Crucible (2019). The troupe has been working together since the premiere performance in 1998 of the production of Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost [Peine d’amour perdue] translated by François Regnault.

Text William Shakespeare
New translation François Regnault
Staged & directed by Emmanuel Demarcy-Mota
Assistant to the director Julie Peigné, with the assistance of Judith Gottesman
Scenography Natacha le Guen de Kerneizon, Emmanuel Demarcy-Mota
Lighting designer Christophe Lemaire assisted by Thomas Falinower
Costumes Fanny Brouste, assisted by Véra Boussicot
Music Arman Méliès
Video design Renaud Rubiano, assisted by Romain Tanguy
Sound design Flavien Gaudon
Make-up and hairstyles Catherine Nicolas, assisted by Elisa Provin
Stage props & management Erik Jourdil
Headdresses and crowns Laetitia Mirault

With the Troupe du Théâtre de la Ville
Élodie Bouchez, Sabrina Ouazani, Jauris Casanova, Jackee Toto, Valérie Dashwood, Philippe Demarle, Edouard Eftimakis, Ilona Astoul, Mélissa Polonie, Gérald Maillet, Sandra Faure, Gaëlle Guillou, Ludovic Parfait Goma, Stéphane Krähenbühl, Marie-France Alvarez

Production Théâtre de la Ville-Paris

World premiere january 16 2024 at Théâtre de la Ville-Sarah Bernhardt

Télérama

A tale of enchantment performed by talented actors […] in a new translation by François Regnault bringing a contemporary feisty spirit to the play. Here are the wondrous workings of the joyful bucolic fantasy in a dazzling illustration devised by Emmanuel Demarcy-Mota for the vast renovated stage of Paris’s Théâtre de la Ville.

Les Echos

The production is set at breakneck speed as Emmanuel Demarcy-Mota skillfully takes us to the far horizons of the Shakespearian dream.

Le Monde

A fine and worthy tribute at the Théâtre de la Ville-Sarah Bernhardt.
The realm, captured by night, is even grander.
Contemporary and popular. Emmanuel Demarcy-Mota has brought the spirit of childhood to the movements, a spirit aspiring to dream and hope.
Dramatic art with generosity and irresistible humor prevails, with popular appeal in the noble sense of the term.

Le Figaro

A wonderful rendition of Shakespeare’s play. The director has invented a new take on Shakespeare’s world both on earth and in celestial spheres. The unquenchable joy of the play has not been overlooked, yet this vision of Shakespeare’s Dream uncovers our hidden side, exploring our disquiet and deceit.

L'humanité

Scenes follow one upon the other without a pause as characters enter and exit the stage in precision choreography leaving the impression that they might simply have vanished. The work as staged is a fine balance of whimsy, fantasy, and the intoxication of love.

Transfuge

Striking! The director had the brilliant idea of casting three actors in the role of Puck instead of one: three perfectly matched faces and bodies. The three Pucks appear and disappear as the plot becomes more and more chaotic, and their choreographies set the uncanny pace of the play.

La Terrasse

Remarkable! A magical, joyful, beautiful rendition of Shakespeare’s play. The cast is superlative. Everything in the performance adds to the beauty, fascination and refinement of the play.

Le Point

A Midsummer Night’s Dream so finely directed by Emmanuel Demarcy-Mota transports the audience (once more!) through the magic arising from the alchemy of the new French translation by François Regnault which highlights the modern style of a theater company so wonderfully attuned to this world of dramatic art.

artistkrezo.com

The beauty of the scenography and visuals makes the magic of theater an object of love, the art of drama being transported here by the fine energy and sincerity of the actors so worthy of admiration.