A Midsummer’s Night Dream at the Malta Arts Festival

Bethan Walker (centre) as Puck. Photo courtesy of Fiona Moorhead.

One of the highlights of the Malta Arts Festival 2010 has to be Shakespeare’s Globe on Tour’s production of ‘A Midsummer’s Night Dream.’   The touring production is a much-welcomed return to the Festival, and is now one of the firm favourites.  We also think that the Argotti gardens in Floriana will provide a magical backdrop for ‘the Dream.’

There are two performances at Argotti Gardens, Floriana on 22nd and 23rd July. Performances start at 21.00hrs.  Tickets €15, concessions €10.  Book early!!

Cast and Biogs:

HELENA / ROBIN STARVELING / PEASEBLOSSOM
Louise Ford

HIPPOLYTA / TITANIA
Jasmine Hyde

BOTTOM / EGEUS
William Mannering

THESEUS / OBERON
Simon Merrells

LYSANDER / FRANCIS FLUTE / MOTH
Mark Quartley

PUCK / SNUG / PHILOSTRATE
Bethan Walker

DEMETRIUS / PETER QUINCE / MUSTARDSEED
Leon Williams

HERMIA / SNOUT / COBWEB
Hara Yannas

DIRECTOR
Raz Shaw

DESIGNER
Hannah Clark

COMPOSER
Alex Silverman

CHOREOGRAPHER
Georgina Lamb

TEXT WORK
Giles Block

MOVEMENT WORK
Glynn MacDonald

VOICE & DIALECT WORK
Jan Haydn Rowles

COSTUME SUPERVISOR
Liz Evans

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Sophie Lifschutz

PRODUCTION MANAGER
Paul Russell

THEATRE TECHNICAL MANAGER
Wills

WARDROBE MANAGER
Hannah Lobelson

STAGE MANAGERS
Danni Bastian
David McEvoy

WARDROBE & MERCHANDISE ASSISTANT
Emily Moore

PROPS CO-ORDINATOR
Bella Lagnado

SCENIC ARTIST
Natasha Shepherd

COSTUME MAKERS
Anna Harper, Lubica Halmova

PUPPET MAKER
Seonaid Goody

CARPENTERS
Kes Hayter, Simeon Tachev

INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT
Paul Leingaard

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER (touring)
Helen Hillman

ASSISTANT PRODUCER
Cat Silver

TOUR PRESS AND MARKETING
Richard Scandrett

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Dominic Dromgoole

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Conrad Lynch

GENERAL MANAGER
Lotte Buchan

COMPANY MANAGER
Marion Marrs

MUSIC MANAGER
Tom Bird

CASTING ASSOCIATE
Charlotte Bevan

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
Eva Koch-Schulte

ASSISTANT TO THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Fiona Moorhead

CASTING & THEATRE ASSISTANT
Chloe Stephens

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT (MUSIC)
Ellie Cowan

THEATRE INTERN
Rosie Townshend

CASTING CONSULTANT
Siobhan Bracke

Biogs

Louise Ford
Helena / Robin Starveling /Peaseblossom

Louise trained at RADA. Her previous theatre credits include Timing (Kings Head, Islington); War and Peace (Shared Experience); All the Little Things we Crushed (Almeida); A Christmas Carol (Rose, Kingston); Don Juan Comes Back from the War and Puntila and His Man Matti (Coventry Belgrade). Her television credits include: Petevs Life, MI High, My Almost Famous Family and Law and Order. Louise is also one half of the comedy duo Ford and Akram, currently performing their hour-long spectacular Racism and Farming, at the Canal Café Theatre in London every month.

Jasmine Hyde
Hippolyta / Titania

Jasmine trained at RADA. Her theatre credits include:Gorgons/Decade (Theatre 503); The Rivals (Bath Theatre Royal and No.1 tour); Gaugleprixton (Edinburgh Fringe Festival (nominated best actress at Stage Awards)); Gifts of War (Menagerie and national tour); Charley’s Aunt (Northcott Theatre, Exeter); Singer (Tricycle Theatre); Waters of the Moon (Salisbury Theatre); Pericles (RSC); Coast of Utopia (Royal National Theatre) and Tiny Dynamite (Frantic Assembly and Paines Plough national tour). Her film credits include: A Distant Mirage, Undo, Other, Restoration and Runt. Her television credits include Casualty. Jasmine has performed in over 100 radio productions, including: Richard III, Dickens Confidential, Romeo and Juliet, Little Dorrit and The Archers.

William Mannering
Bottom

William’s previous work for Shakespeare’s Globe includes: Love’s Labour’s Lost, We the People, In Extremis, Antony & Cleopatra and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Other theatre credits include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Winter’s Tale (RSC); Rookery Nook, The Inland Sea (Oxford Stage Company); Summer Lighting (Theatre Royal, Northampton); Present Laughter (Theatre Royal Bath); Stephen’s Last Night in Town, Games People Play (Jacobs Well Prods); Vincent River (Hampstead Theatre); The Divine Right (Birmingham Rep); The Merchant of Venice (Birmingham Rep and National Tour) and The Winslow Boy (Gielgud). His film credits include: Master and Commander, Breaking the Code and Jackpot. His television credits include: Holby City, Trail and Retribution, Tchaikovsky, The Infinite World of HG Wells, Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Heartbeat, The Coral Island, Unfinished Business (series 1 and 2), Wuthering Heights, Casualty, Dalziel and Pascoe, Black Hearts in Battersea, The Bill, Cadfael, The Old Curiosity Shop, Sharpe’s Company, The Upper Hand and Space Vets.

Simon Merrells
Theseus / Oberon

Simon’s theatre credits include: On the Waterfront (Theatre Royal Haymarket, West End); Twelfth Night, The Comedy of Errors (RSC); Much Ado About Nothing (Liverpool Playhouse); Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune (Nuffield Southampton); The Life of Galileo, Sing Your Heart Out for the Lads, Mourning Becomes Electra (National Theatre); Gasping (Haymarket, Basingstoke); The Provok’d Wife (Southwark Playhouse); Burn This, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Dukes Playhouse, Lancaster) and Coriolanus (Steven Berkoff World Tour). His film credits include: The Wolfman, Invisible Eyes and Le Petit Mort. His television credits include: Ashes to Ashes, The Bill, Family Affairs, Mersey Beat, London’s Burning, Casualty and Doctors. Simon was nominated for The Stage Award for Acting for On the Waterfront.

Mark Quartley
Lysander / Francis Flute /Moth

Mark trained at RADA. His theatre credits include: Measure for Measure, Company, Crimes in Hot Countries, Hamlet, Electra, Wild Honey (RADA); Odyssey, Young Macbeth, The Zoo Story, Julius Caesar (Durham University); Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Love’s Labour’s Lost (Pendley Shakespeare Festival); Oklahoma! and The Ragged Child (National Youth Music Theatre). Mark is making his professional debut in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Bethan Walker
Puck / Snug / Philostrate

Bethan trained at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Her previous work with Shakespeare’s Globe includes the 2009 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Timon of Athens and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Her other theatre credits include: Cinderella (Watford Palace Theatre); The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Birmingham Rep) and Beauty and the Beast (Sherman Theatre). Her television credits include Torchwood and Caerdydd. Her short film credits include Into the Wall (RSC/Dusthouse). In 2006 Bethan won the BBC Carlton Hobbs Award and spent 6 months working with the Radio Drama Company. She has performed in over 50 radio plays for the BBC, including: Elegy Underground, The Brothers Karamazov and Bearing the Cross.

Leon Williams
Demetrius / Peter Quince / Mustardseed

Leon trained at Guildhall. His theatre credits include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Peter Hall Company); Crimes of the Heart (Union Theatre); Great Expectations (Manchester Library Theatre); Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night (Open Air Theatre, Regents Park); As You Like It (Derby Playhouse); The Changeling (English Touring Theatre); Charley’s Aunt (Oxford Playhouse); Not about Heroes (Edinburgh Lyceum) and Skylight (Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough). Leon was nominated for ‘actor in a leading role’ category at the 2009 m.e.n awards for his  performance as Pip in Great Expectations. His film credits include Straight 8 (short). His radio credits include: Macbeth, Pepys Diaries and Romeo & Juliet.

Hara Yannas
Hermia / Snout / Cobweb

Hara trained at LAMDA. Her theatre credits include: it felt empty when the heart went at first but it is alright now (Arcola); On the Boost (World Premiere), Passport to Pimlico, The Permanent Way, The Blue Room (LAMDA) and Scrooge (UK Tour). Her television credits include Holby City.

Raz Shaw
Director

Raz’s previous work with Shakespeare’s Globe includes the 2009 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare’s Globe on Tour (P.E.N Award 2009 for Best Professional Production)) and Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare’s Globe on Tour). His other directing credits include: Gambling (Soho Theatre);Hortensia and the Museum of Dreams (RADA – Vanburgh Theatre); Torn (Arcola); Othello (Salisbury Playhouse); The Glass Menagerie (Young Vic – Jerwood Project); Things of Dry Hours (The Gate, London and Royal Exchange); Gambling (Royal Court – Rough Cuts); Woman in Mind (Salisbury Playhouse); Factory Girls (Arcola); Photos of Religion/A State of Innocence (Theatre 503); The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek (Royal Exchange/Southwark Playhouse); Be My Baby (Salisbury Playhouse); We’re Gonna B****r You (BAC); The Beauty Queen of Leenane (Juno); Belly (Old Red Lion) and 5:01 (Unity Theatre, Liverpool). Future work includes The Talented Mr Ripley (Northampton Theatre Royal) and Red Sky Morning (Arcola Theatre). In 2006 he was the recipient of The Jerwood Directors Award at The Young Vic.