Midsummer Scene is the southernmost English theatre festival in Europe. It coincides with the beginning of summer and, following the centuries-old Dubrovnik tradition of open-air theatre, all our shows are performed under the stars. Our main stage is Fort Lovrjenac, one of the most evocative and atmospheric venues on the continent.
We began our life marking 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth in 2014 and, ever since, the Bard has been the core of Midsummer Scene Festival. In 2018 we have celebrated our first five years with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the play that, in part, gave the Festival its name.
Our 2015 production of Twelfth Night transferred to Vienna’s English Theatre in 2016 – the year we also featured the first actress to play the titular role in Hamlet on a major stage in South-eastern Europe – and travelled to Bermuda Festival of Performing Arts in 2017. We revisited Bermuda in January 2019 to open the inaugural season of Shakespeare on the Rock.
Midsummer Scene Festival 2019 – Season of Love and Hate marks our sixth edition with Romeo & Juliet as our headline production. Every year we strive to enrich our programme and open the ancient City to international artists.
This year we have the joint programme with the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra and we continue the successful collaboration with The House of Marin Držić – the museum dedicated to life and works of a major Renaissance playwright and Dubrovnik native. We have joined forces with the Marin Držić Theatre to co-produce Uncle Maroye Re-Examined, a piece inspired by Držić’s most famous comedy written in 1551. The production has been selected for the main programme of Gdańsk Shakespeare Festival.
We are also proud to open a cabaret scene with the celebrated duo Roulston & Young and welcome the acclaimed production of I, Who Have Hands More Innocent. This year, the festival’s educational outreach includes Lessac Institute voice workshops.
Midsummer Scene is a project of the City of Dubrovnik and the Dubrovnik Tourist Board, and it is a joint production with Brilliant Events, Dubrovnik and Honey-tongued Theatre Productions Ltd. London.
MIDSUMMER SCENE 2019 FESTIVAL PROGRAMME
21st June - 7th July at 9:30 pm*
MIDSUMMER SCENE 2019
21st June till 7th July
21st June at 9 pm / In front od St. Blaise’s church
World Music Day Concert
Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra / Noorman Widjaja, conductor (Indonesia/China) / Matej Meštrović, piano (Croatia).
Dubrovnik kontradanza*, Meštrović: Let Them Come In, Robić: You Only Love Once*, Gotovac: Ero the Joker*, Nardelli: A Song for Dubrovnik*. *arr. by D. Butigan
world premiere: M. Meštrović: New England Rhapsody
Admission is free
22nd June - 5th July at 9:30 pm* / Fort Lovrjenac
William Shakespeare
Romeo & Juliet
Directed by Sean Aita, performed in English.
*every night except 27th June
Tickets: 200/250/300/350 kn
27th June at 9:30 pm / Fort Lovrjenac
Vesna Parun / Vesna Tominac Matačić
I, Who Have Hands More Innocent
Based on the extraordinary life and poetry by Vesna Parun. Directed by Ivan Leo Lemo, performed by Vesna Tominac Matačić in Croatian, with English subtitles.
Tickets: 100 kn
6th July at 9:30 pm / The Rector’s Palace
Songs for Lovers (and Other Idiots)
Famous London cabaret performed by Sarah-Louise Young and Michael Roulston. ‘A musical match made in heaven… dazzlingly brilliant' Fest Magazine
Tickets: 150/200/250/300/350 kn
7th July at 9:30 pm / The Rector’s Palace
Uncle Maroye Re-Examined
A co-production of House of Marin Držić, Marin Držić Theatre and Midsummer Scene Festival, directed by Paolo Tišljarić and performed in English by the Festival ensemble. Based on the comedy Uncle Maroye by Marin Držić, one of the greatest European Renaissance playwrights, and a Dubrovnik native. The rearranged fragments of the play are set at Rector's Palace, where the comedy was first performed in 1551. This project has been included in the main programme of Gdańsk Shakespeare Festival 2019.
Admission is free
Ticket sales:
www.midsummer-scene.com
Dubrovnik Tourist Board, Pile
Luža, Stradun
Box office at Fort Lovrjenac one hour before the performance
Contact:
[email protected]
Find more: http://midsummer-scene.com/
