MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM
PLAYWRIGHT WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
DIRECTOR/SCENOGRAPHER GRANT SORENSON
LIGHTING SHANNON ELLIOTT
DRAMATURG JO HOLCOMB
STAGE MANAGER MATTHEW ESPEY
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR GEORGE KLEVEN
PRODUCTION ASST. MAX RICHARD
CAST BRYCE BAXTER* (LYSANDER/PHILOSTRATE/ STARVELING), JACK BECHARD* (COMPANY COVER), JONATHAN EDWARDS (HELENA/EGEUS/FLUTE), DAVID MICHAELI (HERMIA/OBERON/QUINCE), RICHARD RIGMAIDEN* (PUCK/HIPPOLYTA/SNOUT), LEO ROSSMILLER (DEMETRIUS/BOTTOM/1ST FAIRY), KASHIF SHAKTI (THESEUS/TITANIA/SNUG)
* MEMBER, ACTORS' EQUITY ASSOCIATION
PRESENTED AT THE MODERN REP
JUNE 5-29, 2026
PHOTOGRAPHY MOLLY JAY PHOTOGRAPHY
"This production delivers in the most clever and joyful way. It's definitely the sexiest Shakespeare I've ever seen, and the gayest Shakespeare I've ever seen, in the best possible way. And as a piece of theater, this MIDSUMMER is so modern and forward-thinking. I don't worry about the state of theater as long as there are artists making inventive, outside-the-box, wholly engaging theater in sweaty little loading docks in the North Loop...The youngest and most enthusiastic audience I've seen at the theater in quite some time. If you're looking to shake up your theater-going a little bit, and experience one of Shakespeare's most beloved comedies in a new way, don't miss this wild and beautiful dream of a MIDSUMMER." - Cherry & Spoon
"The Modern Rep’s MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM is a fresh, high-energy take on Shakespeare that feels lively from the moment you walk in. Overall, it’s a loose, energetic production that prioritizes fun and momentum...It’s not a traditional MIDSUMMER, and that’s exactly the point. An easy recommendation for Pride Month—joyful, unapologetically queer, and full of life from start to finish." - BroadwayWorld
"This year’s most exciting Pride event is a Shakespeare production...The Modern Rep’s queer interpretation of MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM has its finger on the pulse, and it’s pressing hard. Director Grant Sorenson has spun the Bard’s most saturated comedy into a complex gay romp with a six-man cast. Leave your Renaissance preconceptions at the door, because the cast will snatch you bald of them regardless. Sorenson’s production favors Slayyyter-scored sex scenes, Luther Vandross lip syncs, and a show-stopping J-pop dance battle. They take many more risks with the play’s base elements, most of them so delightfully shocking that I’ll leave them unspoiled." - Racket
"I don’t think I’ll ever stop thinking about this production of MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM! The Modern Rep has served up Shakespeare with a side of absolute heat, delivering an incredibly sexy, unapologetically gay production that is easily the most fun I’ve ever had watching the Bard’s work. It turns out that centuries-old poetry pairs perfectly with modern, chaotic queer energy, and I was utterly obsessed from start to finish." - Lettered in Theatre
"The Modern Rep's production of MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM is performed both as it would have been in Shakespeare’s day and unlike anything you would have seen in Shakespeare’s day. One of the great things about Shakespeare is that 400 years on, groups can perform the plays and bend them to their will. This production is certainly bent, as the company’s website describes it, 'messy, sexy, and very gay.'" - The Stages of MN