At The Playhouse at the National Building Museum
We invite you to shake up your summer with Shakespeare’s most magical comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream live on stage! The Folger is building a theater from the ground up inside the majestic Great Hall of DC’s National Building Museum.
Be swept away by the romantic delight and enchantment of this 90-minute, wonder-filled production.
The Playhouse
Enter the Dream inside The Playhouse at the National Building Museum both day or night and take part in a variety of activities for the whole family – and experience everyone’s favorite Shakespeare as you have never seen before!
- Life-sized immersive installation based on Joanna Robson’s pop-up book A Knavish Lad, which is a part of the Folger Shakespeare Library collection
- Illustrative narration of A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Costume displays
- Face-painting and Storytime and Activity
- Scavenger hunts
- Shakespeare Mad Libs
- Guided Backstage Tours showing the art and mystery of stagecraft
- Opportunities to get on stage and act Shakespeare’s words
Design an Elizabethan city using found objects, build your own Shakespeare’s Globe-styled theater, learn about the intricacies of The Playhouse’s construction, and so much more.
Watch the time-lapse of our stage coming to life courtesy of EarthCam.
Directions
Performance location: The National Building Museum, 401 F St NW
Nearest Metro station: Judiciary Square (Red Line)
Read the play
Visit Folger Shakespeare to view a detailed synopsis and read the Folger Shakespeare edition of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Health and safety
For complete health and safety protocols, please visit folger.edu/covid-19-safety-protocols.
Who's Who
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Understudies
Cerra Cardwell
u/s Peter Quince and Philostrate
Jordan Essex
u/s Bottom
Izzy Gholl
u/s Helena and Hermia
Brit Herring
u/s Oberon and Theseus
Brooke Kemph
u/s Flute, Snout, and Snug
Shinji Elspeth Oh
u/s Starveling
Sabrina Sawyer
u/s Puck and Egeus
Khalid Taylor
u/s Lysander and Demetrius
Kathryn Zoerb
u/s Titania and Hippolyta
Produced in association with the National Building Museum and the University of South Carolina.
With special thanks to:
Share Fund
Season Sponsors
Maygene and Steve Daniels
Helen and David Kenney and Family
The late Neal T. Turtell
Production Sponsors
Nancy and Steve Howard
Robin and Roger Millay
Contributing Sponsors
Louis and Bonnie Cohen
Denise Gwyn Ferguson
Associate Sponsors
Timothy J. Carlton
Dr. David E. Johnson and Ms. Wendy Frieman
Peter and Mary Jay Michel
Gail Kern Paster
