A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre

By Leah Gabriella Cardenas

For the summer of 2026, Shakespeare’s comedy play A Midsummer Night’s Dream has returned to the Globe Theatre. 

I attended the 7:30pm show on Tuesday, July 7th. I was given free tickets from CIEE, however, prices typically range from £5 for standing to £88 for seating. 

I had never read or seen the play in full before, but I did know of the premise from excerpts in movies and on social media. In summary, there are several intertwined storylines: four young Athenians lost in the woods, a feuding fairy king and queen, and amateur actors rehearsing a play. 

Though I arrived just after 7pm, I was able to stand at the very front and center. The show started a little bit early with the cast bringing up audience members to do auditions for the play that’s within the actual play. We learned a song, some got to dance, and others performed a short monologue. Shortly after, the show began.

The stage was the first thing I was able to take in. The venue itself is an open-air 360° auditorium, but it was still intimate as it only holds 1,570 audience members. For this production, the stage had four runways where the actors often entered from as well as stairs in the front center. This made the audience feel even more immersed in the story.

Before attending, I wasn’t aware that the show was extremely interactive and not just during the pre-show auditions. There were shoutouts to different audience members when the amateur play’s casting was called. The actors walked through and stood in the yard many times. Audience members were even chosen to actually be in the play, wedding ceremony, and help Puck put the Athenians to sleep. 

Though I unfortunately was not chosen to go up onto the stage, I still felt a part of the show. Being in the front, I was ‘the wall’ in the play and got to link arms with one of the actors. There were several times when the actors spoke their lines directly to me with some intense eye contact. I even got spit on, by accident of course, but I figured that would happen at some point. 

A fellow CIEE intern, Josie Jukita also appreciated the ability to participate. Jukita said, “My favorite part was how interactive it was, the fact that so much of the audience was able to get involved. It was well-integrated into the show and made the experience very memorable.”

The set design, costumes, and props matched the play’s eccentricity. The rainbow flowers and other decor ‘magically’ appear during the show as the fairies come out at night. The colorful and atypical costumes by Fly Davis also brought the play’s whimsy to life. Puck the fairy seemed to be wearing a greenscreen suit and donkey Bottom was more like a piñata. The props were equally unique as Puck’s magic was shown with bubbles. All three aspects complimented each other for a colorfully modern take, which I think made it more digestible for the average viewer. 

Romaya Weaver who played Helena was my absolute favorite. Her faces were priceless and her raspy voice, whether intentional or not, fit the role well.

My roommate and fellow CIEE intern, Nowal Farah also thought Helena stood out. “I liked the storyline where the girl [Helena] was in love with the guy [Demetrius] that wasn’t interested,” said Farah. “I thought she was very dramatic and I enjoyed her performance.”

Though the entire cast was brilliant, as most took on two roles as well as sang, danced, and acted. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of singing and dancing throughout. The musicians were tucked up in the stage’s balcony but they truly brought the performance to life. Mel Lowe who played Lysander had a beautiful voice. At one point, she snuck in the “Defying Gravity” run. There were more shoutouts to other musicals with the character Bottom wearing Hamilton and Cats t-shirts during the play rehearsals.

Overall, seeing a Shakespeare play in a recreation of Shakespeare’s iconic playhouse was an experience I will never forget. I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially with it being my first interactive performance. 

Visit the Shakespeare’s Globe website to get tickets to other performances.