An Interview with Nik Briggs ahead of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in York

Stage Director and Producer Nik Briggs has brought everyone’s favourite musicals to the Grand Opera House, York. And in May, he brings his fresh interpretation of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream to the stage…

What can audiences expect when they come to see the show?
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is set to bring a powerful, bold new aesthetic to this Shakespearean classic. With a soundtrack of club classics supporting our transportation of the story from the Ancient Court of Athens to “Athens Court”, a northern council estate, we have been able to maintain the high dramatic stakes and mayhem that Shakespeare fuelled his story with whilst reframing the action so a modern audience see the themes of rebellion, love, passion and community as part of a world more reminiscent of cult British drama’s such as Shameless and Brassic.

Does the production keep to Shakespeare’s script and is the dialogue in traditional Shakespearean language?
Yes very much so, the core of the production is still very much Shakespeare’s beautiful text but that doesn’t mean it’s delivered in RP or the King’s English. It’s Shakespeare’s text performed in our actor’s accents. I very much believe Shakespeare, and the brilliant stories he created, are totally accessible to everyone when told in the right way. The balance of respecting the text whilst keeping story telling at the heart of our rehearsals means we can create a show that will be enjoyable and entertaining to audience members ranging from those who’ve never seen Shakespeare before to those who regularly pick up the complete works for some light reading. Shakespeare created his shows for the masses from the working classes to the gentry and that should still be the case today, we aren’t making theatre for academics and upper classes, everyone should feel at home watching theatre. I remember seeing a brilliant production of The Dream by Edward Hall’s Propeller when I was at school, it was the first time I’d seen Shakespeare on stage and it all just clicked for me as a school student who comes from a family who’d never read Shakespeare or been to university etc. The story I saw on stage just made sense. I may not have understood every word or phrase at that stage but I knew the story clearly by the end and felt every emotion the actors were portraying.

How is the comedic element of Shakespeare’s writing portrayed in the production?
It’s portrayed very much with many different layers, it’s our job to understand what made it funny to an Elizabethan audience and to find ways to connect that to our audience. Are there comparisons to the world we’re creating onstage that we can make from the original text etc, then we look at how to share all this with the audience whether it’s how we deliver the lines or through visual comedy and occasionally from ad-libs that come about naturally in rehearsals. Like a good cheese or wine (or curry from last night’s takeaway) it always tastes better when it’s left to mature and is enjoyed later, the comedy in our show is very much like that.

The songs in the show are 90s and 00s dance classic hits – what made you choose these and is that the era in which the show is set?
As with everything in our show it comes from the world of Athens Court. It’s the music that would surround that world, the people who live in Athens Court would listen to and love these songs. When we shortlisted the songs we then realised they all come from a similar time period which we’ve taken forward into other design and cultural choices for this new setting for the show. This has led into some brilliant discoveries and invoked memories of the early chav culture of the 90s and noughties which has given us lots to play with in rehearsals.

Will there be singing and dancing in the show, as seen in many other of York Stage’s productions?
Oh indeed, Shakespeare’s theatre was filled with music and A Midsummer Night’s Dream has lots of music in it already. We’ve taken this, recreated it so it fits with additional music we’re using in the show. Audiences who know York Stage shows can expect the same high energy and big production numbers we have in our musicals. With a whole ensemble of mischievous, and chavvy fairies. we’ve been able to create some real wow moments that will really excite and amaze our audiences.

Is this production recommended for school pupils?
Yes all ages will love this show. I think school pupils will relish in the mayhem of our production. There are some naughtier aspects but this is nothing that’s not in the original version and indeed the pace and high japes energy we’re bringing to the story will be perfect for the gen Alpha, TikTok loving audience.

What inspired you to pick A Midsummer Nights Dream as your next show?
As this is York Stage’s first Shakespeare we wanted to choose a show that, like our big musicals, appeals to the masses! Dream is a perfect choice for this with its themes of love, rebellion and reconciliation. Then there are the magical aspects of the story which really have allowed us to use with the big production values that York Stage are renowned for, audiences can expect flying fairies, big costumes, sensational music and of course lots of high-quality drama!

A Midsummer Nights Dream runs at The Grand Opera House, York between 6th and 1th May. Tickets can be bought at atgtickets.com.