Hermia loves Lysander, but her father orders her to marry Demetrius. Helena loves Demetrius, but he only has eyes for Hermia…

In Shakespeare’s story of dreams and desires, four young lovers find themselves lost in a magical wood – playthings for the fairies who rule there. Inhibition gives way to exploration, as fantasy and reality collide over the course of one heady summer’s night.

An enchanted wood whispers and stirs, fairies sing their songs in moonlit choirs, a king and queen trade elegant insults and love blooms rich and strange in Benjamin Britten’s most bewitching score. Shakespeare’s comedy retains all of its charm in this witty, light-footed adaptation, but also gains new darkness in an intoxicating musical celebration of instinct and illicit desire. This may be a fairytale, but danger is never far away…

With its lavish costumes and magical, Arthur Rackham-inspired designs, Peter Hall’s production is a longstanding Festival favourite. Dalia Stasevska conducts.

A revival of the 1981 Festival production. Sung in English with supertitles.