Chichester Festival Theatre has revealed the complete cast joining Munya Chawawa in its 2026 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, set to run from September to October. The production redraws Shakespeare’s comedy with a 1990s Sussex twist, reflecting local political tensions.

Chichester Festival Theatre will present A Midsummer Night’s Dream as its 2026 Festival finale, running from 18 September to 17 October with a press night on 25 September. The production is co-directed by Justin Audibert and Hannah Joss and stars comedian and satirist Munya Chawawa as Bottom.

Set in 1994 Chichester, the play imagines Tory MP Theseus celebrating his closure of free raves in Sussex, supported by the local Chief Constable Egeus. Meanwhile, four young lovers seek to escape the era’s social restrictions by fleeing to the South Downs.

Eve Ponsonby replaces Jemima Rooper as Titania, with David Sturzaker cast as Oberon. Other principal cast members include Charlie Beck as Snug / Mustardseed, Shane David Joseph as Puck, and Celeste Dodwell as Hippolyta.

The company also features Henry Everett as Egeus, Tom Kanji as Theseus, Ellie Larkin as Lysanda, and Freya Parks as Helena. The ensemble is rounded out by Gavin Rasmussen, Angela Sant’Albano, Anna Soden, Giles Taylor, Kieran Taylor Ford, and Kishore Walker in multiple roles.

The Ravers are played by Adhish Arul, Scarlette Guilfoyle, Mariana Fonseca, Hattie Musgrove, Jaz Reynolds, Cache Thake, Phoebe Tyler, and Riley Woodford, highlighting the rave culture at the centre of the play’s 1990s setting.

The creative team boasts Joanna Scotcher on set design, Ryan Dawson Laight on costumes, Elliot Griggs on lighting, and Alexandra Faye Braithwaite as composer and sound designer. Video design is by Ian William Galloway with movement direction from Jade Hackett and casting by Matilda James.

This reinterpretation reflects a current interest in resetting Shakespeare in distinct local and historical contexts, emphasising contemporary political undercurrents within classical works.