‘Riotous and celebratory’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream live streamed in a world first
Emma Rice’s inaugural production as Artistic Director at Shakespeare’s Globe was broadcast live around the world for audiences to enjoy for free as part of Shakespeare Lives, the online digital festival co-curated by the BBC and the British Council.
A Midsummer Night's Dream was streamed live on this webpage on Sunday 11 September at 1830 BST and is available to watch on demand worldwide on this website and for audiences in the UK on BBC iPlayer.
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Watch now
The live stream of A Midsummer Night's Dream is available to watch online internationally for 6 months.
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Watch on BBC iPlayer
Viewers in the UK can watch online for 6 months on BBC iPlayer
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Live the Dream
Catch up with the live stream of A Midsummer Night's Dream, including updates and live broadcasts from backstage at Shakespeare's Globe.
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Live from Shakespeare's Globe, the romantic story fuses music, dance and serious comedy.
The final night of the Bollywood-infused A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which has wowed critics and played to sold-out audiences at the Bankside theatre in London, was streamed live on Sunday 11th September 2016. It was the first time any production was live streamed internationally from Shakespeare’s Globe. Introduced by actress and comedian Meera Syal, the show is available on-demand on the Shakespeare Lives digital platform which can be accessed anywhere in the world as well as on BBC iPlayer for viewers in the UK.
As part of the build-up to the live performance, presenter Lindsey Chapman took audiences on an access all-areas tour exploring the inner workings of the faithfully reconstructed Elizabethan theatre. In a series of live broadcasts on social media, Lindsey spoke to the cast and crew behind the production and found out what goes into running the world famous venue.
Watch exclusive videos from behind the scenes of #DreamLive
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Introducing #DreamLive
Lindsey Chapman meets The Globe's Artistic Director and finds out more about the history of this iconic venue.
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Directing a Live broadcast
Meet the Director and get an exclusive look inside the outside broadcast truck.
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Backstage with costumes, hair and make-up
Find out more about the stunning costumes, the wigs and the masks for A Midsummer Night's Dream.
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The costumes and props store
A rummage around some of the amazing costumes and props kept backstage at Shakespeare's Globe
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The music of A Midsummer Night's Dream
Lindsey meets the composer, music director and the sitar player, Sheema Mukherjee.
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Rehearsing the fight scene
The four actors who play the lovers in the play demonstrate their fight scene.
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The show is about to start!
Lindsey soaks up the atmosphere in the Globe, meets presenter Meera Syal and chats to members of the audience and the stewards (who play a surprisingly vital role...)
Your reaction to the live stream of A Midsummer Night's Dream
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What did you think?
See loads more live reaction on the Globe's storify page.
We asked people to let us know where they were watching from as The Globe went global!
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#DreamLive: Around the world
From Mexico to New Zealand and Norway to New York, where were you watching?
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Bollywood, Banjoleles, Ballads and Beyonce!
Listen to the music of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Watch highlights from the show
About Shakespeare Lives
Shakespeare Lives is a six-month, online festival to celebrate 400 years since the death of William Shakespeare. Hosted in Birmingham, accessible anywhere in the world and co-curated by the BBC and the British Council, it has brought audiences performances and insight from some of the nation’s greatest performing arts institutions.
Since it launched on Shakespeare’s anniversary 23rd April 2016, more than a million visitors have experienced a remarkable collection of interpretations of Shakespeare’s work together in one digital space, in collaboration with the Royal Opera House, Shakespeare’s Globe the British Film Institute, Hay Festival and the Royal Shakespeare Company. The project is supported by the GREAT Britain campaign.
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More A Midsummer Night's Delights from BBC Shakespeare Lives
From 24 Hour Shakespeare to the Best Bottoms in the land! A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of Shakespeare's best-loved plays and is often the first exposure that children have to his work...
Cortina Butler, Director Shakespeare Lives said: “We’re delighted to play a part in making it possible for a truly international audience to experience a magical, modern production from Shakespeare’s Globe. Our unique digital partnership with the BBC and leading cultural organisations from the UK, has been a highlight of our year-long Shakespeare Lives programme.”
Emma Rice, Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe, says:
This is the best gift to the audience I can imagine and will catapult this amazing play and extraordinary venue into living rooms around the country.Emma Rice, Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe
“I’m thrilled that my first production at the Globe is being filmed by the BBC in this innovative and energetic way with the British Council. I can’t wait to see the live broadcast as it captures the joyous spirit of A Midsummer Night’s Dream - my love letter to Shakespeare and The Globe!
"I am especially delighted to think that this landmark broadcast will reach even more people than we can fit in the Globe over an entire summer season - especially when we have been sold-out for weeks and have queues round the building wanting to share the love!
This is the best gift to the audience I can imagine and will catapult this amazing play and extraordinary venue into living rooms around the country.
Magic indeed! Wonder indeed!”
More from Shakespeare Lives
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The Complete Walk
Watch six fantastic new films from Shakespeare's Globe.
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Queen Lear
Queen Lear and The Archers: an Everyday Story of Shakespearean Folk
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Shakespeare at the BBC Proms 2016
Poet, playwright, muse: The BBC Proms celebrate the Bard's 400th anniversary.
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King Lear - starring Don Warrington
Filmed in the round at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester in front of a live theatre audience, King Lear played to sell out theatre crowds during its run, winning 4 and 5 star reviews across the board and was described by the Guardian as ‘as close to definitive as can be’.
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Highlights from Shakespeare Lives
The best of the action, including Shakespeare Day Live.
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Hamlet with David Tenant at the RSC
David Tennant stars as the doomed Richard II in Greg Doran’s critically-acclaimed Royal Shakespeare Company production, available for the first time online across the world.
