To be performed on 29th April – 2nd May 2026 at the Rondo Theatre, Bath

Auditions: Monday 20th October & Thursday 23rd October 2025

From 7:15pm – 9:30pm on both days

The concept
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most fantastical works. Full of fairies, romance, magic, comedy and mayhem, it is a play that many have fallen under the spell of.  But what if we flipped it on its head? Set it, not in medieval Athens and the surrounding forest, but in a 1980’s factory and the dark, winding streets around it? The Managing Directors of the Athenian and Amazonian factories look to mark their marriage, and the company’s merger, with a night of celebration. A small group of factory workers (rude mechanicals) start to rehearse for this very night. Four lovers steal away to escape the restrictions placed on them by overbearing elders. All the while, the King and Queen of fairyland fight for control. 

 

This version will explore gender and sexuality in society and the workplace in a time of great change. But more importantly, it will hopefully be a fun reimagining of a loved favourite. 

 

Rehearsals will be Sunday evenings and another evening in the week, starting early January after the Bath Drama panto. A read-through will be held mid-November.  If you are interested in auditioning, please contact the director, James Dennis, via email at midsummer.bd@gmail.com 

CHARACTER LIST

 

As you go through the list below, please note the doubling and the gender-swaps.

The Court
Theseus (F, 40’s/50’s): Managing Director of the Athenian factory. Strong but fair, a good mind for business, and head-over-heals in love with her soon-to-be husband, Hippolyta. Will also double as Oberon.

Hippolyta (M, 40’s/50’s): Managing Director of the Amazonian factory. Cool and reasonable, will speak one word rather than ten to make a point. As in love with his new bride, Theseus, as she is with him. Will also double as Titania.

Egeus (Any, 50’s/60’s): Parent to Hermia, and high-level Manager in the Athenian factory. Hot- headed and strong-willed. Will also double as one of the fairies.

Philostrate (Any, Any): Theseus’ assistant. Organised, perceptive, and somehow able to pull together a wedding party in the space of a few days. Will also double as Puck. 

The Lovers
(all presenting as middle-upper management for the Athenian factory)

Hermia (F, 20’s/30’s): In love with Lysander while being courted by Demetrius. As strong willed as her father, knows herself and just wants others to accept her. 

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Demetrius (M, 20’s/30’s): Courting Hermia partially because of family expectation and partially to hide his conflicted feelings towards Helena. Strong-willed and a little cocky, he is still trying to figure things out for himself. 

Lysander (F, 20’s/30’s): In love with Hermia but rejected by her father. Creative, honest, and chivalrous, she feels like the only way the two of them can be together is to run away, acting as the initial spark for the rest of the play. 

Helena (M, 20’s/30’s): In love with Demetrius but constantly spurned. A bit more assured of himself but still having to hide who he is in everyday life. A little sneaky, a little bit cheeky.

The Mechanicals
(All portraying factory and office workers from the two joining companies)

Quince (M, 50’s/60’s): Factory foreman and director of one of the wedding plays. Set in his ways, focussed, occasionally jovial. Also reads the Prologue and reads Moonshine in their play.

 

Bottom (F, 30’s/40’s): Lower management within the offices. Bombastic, enthusiastic, and prone to the overdramatic, Bottom readily joins the play and in turn, gets completely transformed. Plays Pyramus in their play. 

Flute (M, 20’s): A young member of the company, and often the butt of jokes. Plays Thisbe in their play. Will also double as one of the fairies.

Snug (Any, Any): Slow witted but with a heart of gold. Plays the Lion in their play. Will also double as one of the fairies.

Snout (Any, Any): Often reluctant but always looking out for others. Plays Wall in their play. Will also double as one of the fairies.

The Fairies
(all portrayed as the invisible homeless and down-and-outs)

Puck (Any, Any): The mischievous friend and confidant of Oberon. Loves to play pranks and is often seen as the main antagonist of the play. Will also double as Philostrate.

Oberon (F, 30’s/40’s): Queen of the fairies and in the midst of a dispute with her husband, Titania. A
fiery temper, but can have a loving side to her. Will also double as Theseus.

Titania (M, 30’s/40’s): King of the fairies, and the target of one of the main tricks of the play. Strong
and proud, he is as much of a force of nature as his wife. Will also double as Hippolyta.

Peaseblossom, Cobweb, and Mustardseed (Any, Any): Titania’s fairy band. Will also double as members of the Court/Mechanicals.