Immersive Shakespeare Midsummer Carnival makes for hypnotically fun night out

Roll up and let the games begin, The Midsummer Carnival is in town!

Shakespeare’s most beguiling tale of magic and mayhem receives a makeover this month under the wand of Brisbane Immersive Ensemble (Cluedo! The Interactive Game), as the entire Stores Building of Brisbane Powerhouse is transformed into a carnival of delights for The Midsummer Carnival.

For only 2 weeks opening on January 24, audiences are transported to an old-world travelling show where Shakespeare’s timeless comedy plays out against a backdrop of jaw-dropping circus stunts, sideshow antics and live gypsy jazz from musicians roving among the audience.

“Shakespeare’s famous comedy centres on the blurring of fantasy and reality and we’re creating a world in which audiences can lose themselves in the action,” Brisbane Immersive Ensemble Company Director Ben Lynskey said.

While modern stagings of the play tend to rely on the magic of theatre and the fourth-wall, Lynskey believes that Brisbane Immersive Ensemble’s site-specific, interactive re-imagining may well be the version that Shakespeare had intended more than 400 years ago.

“William Shakespeare wrote A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 1595 but it didn’t appear on stage until quite a few years later. Scholars believe the play was written and first performed for a medieval wedding which often took the form of carnivals,” Lynskey said.

Renowned for their site-specific theatre and immersive storylines, Brisbane Immersive Ensemble has cemented its reputation as Queensland’s leading creator of interactive entertainment experiences and Lynskey describes The Midsummer Carnival as the company’s biggest undertaking yet.

The Artistic Director, Xanthe Jones, who wrote and directed the classic comedy’s re-invention says, “The show will take place all around you and everywhere at once. Characters come alive like you’ve never seen before and the acting and improvisational talent is hands-down the best in Brisbane. This really is a show you don’t want to miss!”

The Midsummer Carnival will take place in the heritage-listed Stores Building at Brisbane Powerhouse from 24 January – 8 February 2019. For information and tickets, click here.