A Midsummer Night's Dream - Theater in Josefstadt

What fools these mortals be! Only a few days separate Theseus, the ruler of Athens, and Hippolyta, the Amazon queen he has defeated in battle, from their wedding. On the same day, Hermia is to marry Demetrius, as her father commands. In her despair, she flees into the nearby forest at night with her beloved Lysander, followed by Demetrius and Helena. There, the four soon find themselves in the magical world of fairies, caught in the midst of the bitter marital dispute between the fairy king and queen, Titania and Oberon. With the help of a magic flower and the sprite Puck, Oberon seeks revenge on Titania: an absurd game of confusion with multiple partner changes through the forest begins.

The central theme of this Shakespeare classic is the power of love, which finds its way despite all accidents and external influences. Through the skillful intertwining of comically turbulent scenes with musically lyrical moments, Shakespeare masterfully directs attention to the playful lightness of the extremely complex plot. In doing so, love reveals itself as an uncontrollable yet wondrous force that governs both the world of humans and the realm of fairies.

Cast:
Director: Josef E. Köpplinger
Set Design: Walter Vogelweider
Costumes: Alfred Mayerhofer
Musical Direction: Jürgen Goriup
Assistant Director and Choreography: Ricarda R. Ludigkeit
Musical Assistance: Florian Reithner
Dramaturgy: Jacqueline Benedikt
Lighting: Josef E. Köpplinger / Pepe Starman

Hermia, daughter of Egeus: Juliette Larat
Helena: Melanie Hackl
Demetrius, Hermia's lover: Tobias Reinthaller
Lysander, Hermia's lover: Julian Valerio Rehrl
Theseus / Oberon, Duke of Athens / King of the Fairies: Michael Dangl
Hippolyta / Titania, Queen of the Amazons, betrothed to Theseus / Queen of the Fairies: Sandra Cervik
Philostrat / Puck, Master of Revels at Theseus' court / a fairy: Alexander Absenger
Egeus, Hermia's father: Michael König
Squenz, the carpenter (Prologue): Wolfgang Hübsch
Schnock, the joiner (Lion / Wall): Günter Franzmeier
Zettel, the weaver (Pyramus): Robert Meyer
Flaut, the bellows mender (Thisbe): Boris Pfeifer
Schlucker, the tailor (Moonshine): Johannes Seilern
Fairy of Titania's: Soi Schüssler
Fairies: Leah Manning, Carla Chevillard, Maximillian Anger, Gregor Reinhold / George Kounoupias
Musicians: Jürgen Goriup / Florian Reithner