It has been claimed that an adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream has had its five-week run cancelled because of references to Gaza and trans rights (The Times).
Inspired by the Manchester music scene, the drum-and-bass reimagining of Shakespeare’s comedy was supposed premiere on September 6 at the city’s 750-seat Royal Exchange Theatre.
However, the show’s first few performances were cancelled, with theatregoers told it was because of “technical issues” and a cast injury. Scheduled to run until October 12, the play was then axed in its entirety, with the Royal Exchange citing only a “number of issues”.
The show was supposed to have contained a song which referred to both trans rights and the Israel-Gaza conflict. Conflict over the lyrics is believed to have been at the heart of the decision to axe it.
According to the Manchester Evening News, theatre bosses wanted the section, which contained an element of audience participation removed. However, the director, Stef O’ Driscoll, and members of the cast insisted it should stay. Although Royal Exchange staff and the company met to sort out the issue hours before a scheduled press preview, they could not come to an agreement.
“They did the first preview, at which point the theatre said they are going to have to cut the reference to trans rights and free Palestine,” a source said. “The director said, ‘No, this is my direction, it’s what it’s always been, we’ve had weeks and months and you are now trying to change it after the first preview’. The company were very solid and unified.”
The Stage newspaper reported that another point of contention was the inclusion of “Free Palestine” graffiti on a piece of set.
Equity, the actors’ union, confirmed that the cast and crew had been paid for the run in full. However, it called for an “urgent meeting” to discuss why the play had been cancelled. A spokesman said: “Whilst we’re pleased that the workforce will not be out of pocket, the issues that have led to the cancellation of the production require further discussion with Manchester Royal Exchange.
“Equity has today contacted the theatre requesting an urgent meeting to discuss the reasons for cancellation, the impact on our members and the steps being taken now. We remain very concerned about this situation and its impact on our members.”
Although the theatre has not addressed the reasons directly, it indicated that “changes late in the process” had formed part of the decision.
A spokeswoman said: “At the Royal Exchange Theatre we want to work with artists who address complex issues. Sadly, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream a number of challenges occurred which led to a decision to cancel the production — including injuries, a delayed technical week and changes late in the process.
“Despite our best efforts we were unable to get the show on as planned and took the difficult decision to cancel the production. Every effort was made to get the production on stage.”
Worth reading in full.
