For their sixth year of taking Shakespeare to local communities in the parks and gardens of London (and Kent this year too!), the East London Shakespeare Festival (ELSF) are on solid ground with a playful production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
ELSF provide accessible and affordable performances – tickets for the performance I saw were £10.70, some shows are ‘pay what you can,’ and the Broadstairs gig on 31 July is free. I watched a performance in Lloyd Park in Walthamstow, about one third into their run, with an audience of local people and families of all ages and backgrounds soaking up the summery vibes the day after the summer solstice.
There is some challenge for the cast as they perform to an enthusiastic picnicking crowd. People talking, small children crying, crisp packets being opened and the general melee of al-fresco dining are not your usual theatre etiquette! Nevertheless, the cast of seven (including apprentice actor Zora Duric-Speare) give their all, demonstrating incredible energy, exceptional resilience, and a high level of fitness on a very hot summer’s afternoon as they run (at speed) through the park, changing costumes frequently and still managing to deliver Shakespeare’s jam-packed script with vigour and style.
There is a lot going on in this play with plot strands galore. The marriage of Theseus, four young Athenians running away into the forest, discord between the king and queen of the fairies, and, of course, the mischievous Puck making everyone fall in love with the wrong person. And then there’s the play-within-a-play in which the local tradesmen intend to put on the tale of Pyramus and Thisbe. Unfortunately for the lead character, Nick Bottom, Puck wreaks an unpleasant transformation on him and makes him the object of affection for the fairy queen. It’s not a spoiler to say that everything comes together in the end, but that’s a lot to cover in a two-hour, two-act play with very little staging, few props and a cast that need to play three parts each!
Jack Bence, covering the roles of Oberon, Bottom, and Theseus, was tireless in his upbeat and energetic delivery, cajoling the other actors and teasing the crowd. His opposite number for this show was Miranda Braun, covering Titania, Puck and Hippolyta, and they had great chemistry and interplay. Braun’s role shares with ELSF co-founder, Ursula Early, who performs at some of the shows, but based on the experience of previous years, this will be equally as much fun.
Annabelle Blake as Helena (and Snug and Cobweb) and Benedict C Jones as Demetrius (and Quince and Mustardseed), made a great comedy couple, and I was really impressed by Kareem Alexander Yousri, who gives us a very charismatic Lysander and also has to play Francis Flute, the bellows-mender who is in turn playing tragic heroine, Thisbe. Yousri was often paired with Kalifa Taylor as Hermia, and they grabbed the attention of the audience every time they were on the ‘stage’. Taylor and Blake also brought the laughs to the feud between Hermia and Helena, tearing around on the grass, lobbing insults at each other.
A huge shout out too, to the costume designer, making the most of old ties, ribbons, beads and shopping bags to create delightful bohemian costumes for the cast. The ass’s ears made out of a Sainsbury’s jute bag were priceless. For a company with very few resources, it needs to have a show that can pop up in all sorts of places; their creativity is very much to be admired.
The ELSF interact with the crowd, breaking the fourth wall and then bringing the acting back to the plot and it helped if you already knew the play, but it would have been entertaining even if you didn’t.
ELSF is a charity and as part of their process, they invite community performers to join their productions. This gives creative opportunities to local people of all ages, and it is a genuinely heart-warming and fabulous thing to do. It helps attract audiences as people to come to support their family and friends and makes ELSF a real part of the communities they serve, even if it detracts from the play a little and slows down the pace. The ELSF’s aim of ‘creating fun, accessible events in beautiful spaces’ absolutely hits the nail on the head. These will be memorable moments for the performers who get involved and maybe it will spark a lifelong interest for some of the youngsters involved.
Two days before the ELSF show, I had been at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, seeing a play with all the advantages of a larger budget and cast. I loved it, but there was something really special about watching A Midsummer Night’s Dream over the midsummer weekend. This grassroots, family-friendly company give just as much commitment and energy as their high-profile counterparts and deliver oodles of joy and fun along the way. I am looking forward to their 2027 offering already.
Bursting with mischief, chaos, romance and magic, this joyful, family-friendly outdoor production reimagines Shakespeare’s hilarious comedy with a chaotic splash of contemporary flair. Escape into the enchanted forest alongside Hermia, Lysander, Helena and Demetrius as they get more than they bargained for when a vibrant cast of magical woodland fairies take matters into their own hands.
Kareem Alexander Yousri (Doctor Who) plays Lysander, opposite Off West End Award-nominee Kalifa Taylor as Hermia. They are joined by Bad Education’s Jack Bence, Ursula Early (EastEnders), Miranda Braun (Sense and Sensibility National Tour), Benedict C Jones (Return to the Forbidden Planet), Annabelle Blake (The Changeling Theatre Company) and apprentice Zora Duric Speare.
The show is directed and co-produced by Rosie Frecker, with associate director and producer Ursula Early. It is designed by Jamie Wheeler. The movement director is Genevieve Dunne, musical director is Sonum Batra, production manager and set builder is Andrew Hollingworth.
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
Lloyd Park, Walthamstow, 18 to 21 June 2026
Tour continues to 23 August 2026
