Midsummer Night's Dreams in Bad Hersfeld: Confusion and Love in the Theater!

Midsummer Night's Dreams in Bad Hersfeld: Confusion and Love in the Theater!

The Bad Hersfeld Festival promises an impressive experience again this year: On June 20, 2025 at 9 p.m. the premiere of **“Midsummer Night's Dreams”** based on the famous work by William Shakespeare will be celebrated in the historic monastery ruins. Joern Hinkel, who himself brought a concise production of the classic to the stage in 2015, is taking over the direction again and has come up with a lot of ideas. With a new musical interpretation by Jörg Gollasch, the orchestra of the Bad Hersfeld Festival under the musical direction of Christoph Wohlleben will take the audience into the dream world of the piece.

The exciting plot revolves around Theseus, the Duke of Athens, who is planning his wedding to the Amazon queen Hippolyta. During the wedding preparations, there will not only be festive sounds from a large orchestra, but also a craft theater piece, which will be performed as another highlight of the evening. Amid the turmoil and confusion of love, the characters of the play - including the four young lovers Hermia, Lysander, Helena and Demetrius - find themselves in a chaotic dream world, which is further stirred up by the mischievous goblin Puck. Hinkel brings bizarre ideas and unexpected twists into the production, which is designed to be more digestible as a modern hymn to love and theater.

A piece with history

“Midsummer Night's Dream” is not only a classic of theater literature, but also a tradition at the Bad Hersfeld Festival, where the piece was first performed in 1961. Since then it has had numerous productions, meaning the piece has maintained a permanent place in the repertoire. The renewed performance by Joern Hinkel is particularly exciting because it not only brings back memories of his first directing work, but also the founding of the youth theater group “Sommernachtsträumer e.V.” for many viewers that emerged from his work at the time.

The planned performance duration is around three hours, including an intermission during which the audience can enjoy the ambience of the monastery ruins while enjoying food and drinks. There is already enormous interest in the next performance dates, and many events are sold out or only offer remaining tickets. The following dates are scheduled:

• 02.07.2025: 19:30 Uhr Einführungsvortrag, 20:30 Uhr Sommernachtsträume (Restkarten)
• 05.07.2025: 20:00 Uhr Einführungsvortrag (ausverkauft), 21:00 Uhr Sommernachtsträume (Restkarten)
• 06.07.2025: 14:00 Uhr Einführungsvortrag (ausverkauft), 15:00 Uhr Sommernachtsträume (Restkarten)
• 08.07.2025: 19:30 Uhr Einführungsvortrag (ausverkauft), 20:30 Uhr Sommernachtsträume (Tickets online)
• 13.07.2025: 20:00 Uhr Einführungsvortrag (ausverkauft), 21:00 Uhr Sommernachtsträume (Tickets online)

The Bad Hersfeld Festival not only offers audiences great theater, but also a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in a world full of fantasy and humor. Joern Hinkel's production, with its interplay of theater, music and dance, will certainly be an unforgettable experience for everyone present.

The anticipation for this slightly different adaptation of the Shakespeare classic is growing, and fans agree: Osthessen News reports that the Bad Hersfeld Festival is setting new standards with this ambitious program. If you're still interested in the remaining performances, don't hesitate and get your tickets soon!

Readers can find further information about the production and dates on the website Bad Hersfeld Festival as well as on Festival guide.