What a way to discover anew that absence makes the heart grow fonder! After months of missing out on so much extraordinary live performance, itâs a thrill to be announcing our centrepiece for the 2021 Adelaide Festival: Neil Armfieldâs production of UK composer Benjamin Brittenâs opera, A Midsummer Nightâs Dream, will make its Australian debut with an exclusive season at the Adelaide Festival.
Hailed by Stage Door as âa fantastical sound world that envelopes you in its glittering magicâ, Shakespeareâs most loved comedy is given new life and takes the timeless tale of love, laughter and dreamy magic to new heights with iridescent orchestration and stellar performances.
Weâre so excited to have secured some of the worldâs greatest artists to stage this production. Australiaâs own Daniel Carter (Deutsche Oper Berlin) returns to conduct the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra with an exceptional cast led by rising star, American counter tenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen as Oberon, joined by Rachelle Durkin as Tytania, Teddy Tahu Rhodes as Theseus, Warwick Fyfe as Bottom and our wonderful Young Adelaide Voices childrenâs choir directed by Christie Anderson.
Weaving the entire production together is the virtuoso of Neil Armfield, one of Australiaâs leading international theatre and opera directors and Joint Artistic Director of the Adelaide Festival, who is thrilled finally to bring this production to Australian audiences, after performing in Chicago, Houston and Toronto. “It is an opera of beauty and of joy and itâs very much about reconciliation and magic. We think itâs the perfect work to cheer us up and to remind us of the beauty of the world, the beauty of the imagination and the beauty of making theatre.â he said.
Additional opportunities for audiences to see the opera will be made available through streaming services: with A Midsummer Nightâs Dream on the big screen, audiences will be able to access a streaming of the opera with tickets for as little as $25, either in Elder Park or in regional South Australian cinemas, thanks to the partnership with Country Arts SA.
Adelaide Festival Joint Artistic Director Rachel Healy said: âNever has absence makes the heart grow fonder rung truer than this year. After months of missing out on so much and a very challenging road behind us, and letâs face it, still in front of us, itâs a privilege to announce A Midsummer Nightâs Dream will make its Australian premiere on home turf at the Adelaide Festival. It is also thrilling to be able to bring together this largely Australian creative team and witness them recreate this production. We are utterly delighted that audiences across Adelaide and in regional South Australia will have an opportunity to celebrate the creative genius of their fellow Australiansâ.
Composer Benjamin Britten
Libretto Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears after Shakespeare
Directed by Neil Armfield
Set and Costume Design Dale Ferguson
Choreography/Associate Director Denni Sayers
Lighting Damien Cooper
The Fairies
Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen as Oberon
Rachelle Durkin as Tytania
Mark Coles Smith as Puck
The Lovers
Teddy Tahu Rhodes as Theseus
Fiona Campbell as Hyppolita
Andrew Goodwin as Lysander
Taryn Fiebig as Hermia
James Clayton as Demetrius
Leanne Kenneally as Helena
The Mechanicals
Warwick Fyfe as Bottom
Kanen Breen as Flute
Douglas McNicol as Quince
Jud Arthur as Snug
Norbert Hohl as Snout
Pelham Andrews as Starveling
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
Conductor Daniel Carter
Associate Conductor Brett Weymark
Young Adelaide Voices
Director Christie Anderson
