A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Some Shakes-Queer in the Park!

A gender-chaotic casting and queerification of this summertime Shakespearean classic.

Queer Artists & Players began as a one-off Shakespeare-in-the-park experiment that unexpectedly became a community. In summer 2021, Matisse DuPont directed a queer, campy, outdoor A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Somerville’s Nathan Tufts Park — a low-pressure, COVID-safe way for LGBTQ+ people to reconnect through art after a year of extreme isolation.

The production brought together theatre professionals, first-time performers, and an audience hungry for joy; it even raised $1,500 for the Transgender Emergency Fund. When the show closed, participants immediately asked, “What’s next?”

The cast and crew of Midsummer.