A Midsummer Night's Dream
Plus filmmaker Q&A with Michael Hoffman
As part of the Mad About Shakespeare weekend, we're delighted to welcome Hollywood writer / director Michael Hoffman to talk about his 1999 film, A Midsummer Night's Dream, which stars Stanley Tucci, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kevin Kline, Rupert Everett, Christian Bale, and Dominic West.
A founder of the Oxford University Film Foundation, Hoffman’s filmography includes Soapdish (1991), Restoration (1995), The Last Station (2009), and Gambit (2012). His new series American Classic, starring Kevin Kline and Laure Linney, is currently streaming on MGM+.
Michael will give a pre-screening intro and then participate in a post-screening Q&A with documentary producer and Aldeburgh Cinema trustee Al Morrow.
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Italy, the 1890's. Duke Theseus (David Strathairn) is unhappy because his daughter Helena (Calista Flockhart), passionately in love with Lysander (Dominic West), refuses to marry her suitor Demetrius (Christian Bale). Helena's friend Hermia (Anna Friel) does love Demetrius, but her affection is unrequited. The quartet escape into the woods, with Helena and Lysander determined to elope, where fairy king and queen - Oberon (Rupert Everett) and Titania (Michelle Pfeiffer) - are quarrelling; a dispute that soon entangles a group of amateur actors rehearsing a play.
Mad About Shakespeare weekend is raising funds for Second Stage – a charity created to provide training, support and employment routes into the creative industries for those leaving the criminal justice system.
For tickets to other events taking place over the Mad About Shakespeare weekend, visit www.madaboutshakespeare.co.uk