WASHINGTON — We've all heard of A Midsummer Night's Dream, but you've never seen it quite like this: onstage at the National Building Museum's latest installation, The Playhouse.
The museum focuses on architecture, design and urban planning, and every year during the summer, it presents unique installations in its majestic and beautiful Great Hall; in 2015, they turned the entire space into a giant ball pit! This year, it's a set fit for Shakespeare himself.
"The Playhouse provides a venue for unique experiences related to the theater—from behind-the-scenes tours to sword-fighting demonstrations and other hands-on activities," organizers shared of the many festivities occurring surrounding the installation.
A collaboration between the Folger Theatre and the museum has been in the works since 2018, and the play is just one part of this multi-faceted exhibition, with daytime crafts, face painting, and classes like a Shakespeare-influenced hip hop class.
"A big part of this was to make sure that this space could be activated both day and night, and that there’s a relationship between those two things," Folger Theatre Artistic Director Karen Ann Daniels said. "So that if you came during the day and discovered that there’s an actual show in the playhouse, you could come back and see the show. And vice versa.”
Among the various experiences, visitors are invited to see the full production put on at this brand new set.
"This once-in-a-lifetime production full of yearning lovers, mischievous fairies, and bumbling amateur actors colliding beneath the glowing moon is 90 minutes of sheer delight and romance," organizers said.
Tickets start at $20 to view the production and it's located at the National Building Museum, 401 F Street NW, Washington D.C.
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