22 MAY – 22 JUNE 2024

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Programme

MIDSUMMER

A play with songs

Hilariously funny, heartwarming feelgood romantic musical comedy of a great lost weekend in Edinburgh will steal your heart and have you rolling in the aisles with laughter.

The story’s starting point is a meeting on Midsummer Eve in a wine bar of a pair of lonely 35-year-olds in need of solace.

Helena is a high-powered divorce lawyer “at a loose end,” insecure about looming spinsterhood with a taste for other people’s husbands. Bob is a failing car salesman, would be poet, turned petty criminal who fears he has “peaked in 1987.” A loveable lout who has always been “medium” in the worst way.

She’s totally out of his league and he’s not her type at all. There’s absolutely no reason why they should get together, but they do. What ensues is a helter-skelter weekend in which they lose themselves and their inhibitions; two loners looking for mutual consolation.

It’s an unlikely coupling as both are all too aware, but it’s Midsummer and anything can happen…

Irresistibly comical, laugh a minute play with a beautiful music score that you’ll be singing long after you’ve left the theatre.

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DETAILS

Contains strong language, scenes of a sexual nature and flashing light effects.

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TICKETS

Starting from £11.00

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Age Guidance

16+

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RUNNING TIME

Approx. 2hrs, incl. interval

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PROGRAMME

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Cast

SAM DENIA

as Frank Spencer

LAURA MEAD

as Betty Spencer

JULIA TEAL

as Barbara Fisher

DEREK ELROY

as Father O'Hara

View all cast biographies

LAURA ANDRESEN GUIMARAES

Training: Laura trained at the Guildford School of Acting, Tring Park Performing Arts and with the National Youth Choir.

Theatre credits include: Derren Brown’s ‘Unbelievable’ (Mercury Theatre, Manchester

Opera House and Criterion Theatre, West End); Othello (The Watermill Theatre); Swallows & Armenians (Cumbria Opera Group); Just So Stories (The Watermill Theatre) and Off the Block (Rabble Theatre, 2023 & 2024).

Music credits include: Saxophonist and Vocalist at Qatar World Cup 2022;

Carols by Candlelight with the National Youth Choir (Royal Albert Hall);

The Clockmaker’s Daughter in Concert (Cadogan Hall); Pitch Battle (BBC1) and Carly Paoli ‘Live at Cadogan Hall’.

WILL ARUNDELL

Training: Will is an Alumni of the Guildford School of Acting (BA Musical Theatre) and the Royal Northern College of Music (School of Opera and Vocal Studies).

Theatre credits include: Harry in Kinky Boots (NWT/Queen’s Theatre); Ensemble in A Christmas Carol (Dominion Theatre); Jason in Ordinary Days (Streaming – TheatreCafe); Ensemble/Cover Pirelli/Beadle/Anthony in Sweeney Todd (English Theatre Frankfurt/Deutches Theatre Munchen); Frank Russell in Queen of the Mist (Charing Cross Theatre); Pistol/Exeter in Henry V and The Knight in Canterbury Tales (Guildford Shakespeare Company); Macheath in The Beggars Opera (Queens Theatre, Barnstaple); Colloredo in Mozart! (Catalyst Festival); Mr Mustard in The Factory of Broken Dreams (Norwich Puppet Theatre); Man 2 in The World Goes Round (MAC Belfast); Simon Stride/Cover Jekyll and Hyde in Jekyll and Hyde (English Theatre Frankfurt); Kessel in Mack and Mabel (Hackney Empire); Ensemble in Candide (Cadogan Hall); Ensemble in Honeymoon in Vegas (London Palladium); Henrik in A Little Night Music (Frinton Rep); Barry St. Edmunds in Robin Good (Norwich Playhouse) and Ray the Blade in Les Enfant Terribles’ The Vaudevillains (Various).

Television credits include: Christopher O Kroley in The Killer Beside Me (Discovery ID) and BBC Big Night Of Musicals (BBC).

Recording credits include: Ensemble in The Zoological Society, Ares in Pandora, Reason in Elysium, Milton in The Devil’s Advocate, Frank Russel in Queen of the Mist and Pools by Jim Perkins.

ROSS CARSWELL

Theatre credits include: Elias Burke in Girl from the North Country (UK Tour).

Short film credits include: Christian in Hello, I’m David Bowie (Manchester Film Festival); Liam in Love Is Free(Directors Notes).

Workshop credits include: Thomas Kempe in The Ghost of Thomas Kempe (RSC).

Credits whilst in training (RADA): Jez in Plaques and Tangles; Melchior Gabor in Spring Awakening; Casimir/Henry Forrester in Red Velvet; Tim in Consent and Kyne in IRL.

KAREN YOUNG

Karen is a Scottish actor and musician who hails from Aberdeenshire.

Training: Karen trained at The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, where she was nominated for the Carlton Hobbs award and was a finalist for the Spotlight Prize.

Since graduating, Karen has collaborated with notable theatre directors including Sarah Brigham, Gareth Nicholls, Isobel McArthur and Jemima Levick.

Theatre credits include: Kidnapped (National Theatre of Scotland); Cinderella (Dundee Rep) and Macca and Beth (Liverpool’s Royal Court).

Television credits include: Sal in Funny Woman (Sky) and Becky in Coronation Street (ITV).

Creatives

DAVID GREIG

WRITER

David Greig is a multi-award-winning playwright who became the Artistic Director of the Royal Lyceum Edinburgh in 2015.  David’s most notable plays include The Events, The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, Midsummer, Dunsinane and Europe.  More recently, David’s new stage adaptation of Solaris, based on Stanislaw Lem’s 1961 soviet science fiction novel, was co-produced by The Lyceum, Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne Australia and The Lyric Hammersmith. In 2019, David teamed up with original creators Bill Forsyth and Mark Knopfler to adapt the international hit film Local Hero for the stage which premiered in Edinburgh.  David’s new stage adaptation of Joe Simpson’s best-selling 1988 memoir Touching the Void, which was co-produced by The Lyceum and Bristol Old Vic, enjoyed a run at The Duke of York in London’s West End in 2019/20.  His other adaptations include Strindberg’s Creditors (2018) and Aeschylus’ The Suppliant Women (2016) and The Lorax (2015). David wrote the book for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which opened in the West End in 2013 and then transferred to Broadway in 2017. 

GORDON MCINTYRE

COMPOSER

Gordon is a member of the band Ballboy with whom he has released five albums.  He also has a solo album under the name Money Can’t Buy Music and an album of songs from Midsummer under his own name.  With Ballboy he recorded 4 Peel Sessions and has toured extensively across the UK, Europe and the USA, and his music has been used in films and television shows in the UK, Australia and in the USA.

Theatre credits include: Midsummer (co-written with David Greig); I’m with the Band (Musical Director, Traverse Theatre 2013) and This Wide Night (Composer, Tron Theatre 2014).

RYAN MCBRYDE

DIRECTOR

Ryan is the Creative Director of the Mercury and his productions for the theatre include: The Importance of Being Earnest, Sleeping Beauty, Great Expectations, They Don’t Pay? We Won’t Pay!, The Comedy of Errors, Aladdin, Baskerville, Cinderella, Oliver!, Moll Flanders and Pieces of String (the latter was nominated for the UK Theatre award for Best Musical Production and won Best New Composer at the Stage Debut Awards).

Recent Theatre credits include: Romeo and Juliet (Theatre Trier, Germany); Love On The Links, Before the Party, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Aladdin and Jack and the Beanstalk (Salisbury Playhouse – Jack won Best Pantomime 2018 at the Great British Pantomime Awards); Faust and 1984 (Alte Schauspielhaus, Stuttgart – 1984 was nominated for the prestigious Theaterpreis Der Faust and Faust won the Stuttgart Audience award); The Invisible Man (Queens Theatre, Hornchurch); Saturday Night Fever (UK Tour); Angus, Thongs and Even More Snogging (West Yorkshire Playhouse); The Who’s Tommy (European Tour) and Hamlet! The Musical (Royal and Derngate Northampton & Richmond Theatre – won the WhatsOnStage Theatregoers’ Choice award).

Other Theatre credits include: the world premiere of A Day at the Racists (Finborough Theatre, Barking Broadway – won the Harold Pinter Playwright’s award); The House Of Mirrors And Hearts (Arcola Theatre); a revival of On The 20th Century (Union Theatre); the German musical premieres of Spring Awakening and The Full Monty; The Donkey Show (Proud London); The Ruling Class, Sweet Charity, Hysteria, Hair – The Musical, Deathtrap and The Fox (The Frankfurt English Theatre); Lia’s Guide To Winning The Lottery (Bridewell Theatre); the world premiere of Terje Vigen (The Royal Concert Hall, Oslo & Arts Theatre, London); The Crucible and Fruhlings Erwachen (Alte Schauspielhaus, Stuttgart).

LIBBY TODD

SET & COSTUME DESIGNER

Libby is a Set and Costume Designer working across theatre, musicals, dance and live events, with a passion for new writing and ensemble-based work. She trained at Central Saint Martins and is an Associate Artist of Timelapse Theatre. She is the Graduate Rep for Society of British Theatre Designers.

Recent design credits include: It’s A Wonderful Life and Potted Panto (Reading Rep); The Good Enough Mums Club (UK Tour); Merrily We Roll Along (Southwark Playhouse Elephant, NYMT); Anything That We Wanted To Be(Summerhall, Edinburgh Fringe); Summer Camp for Broken People (Summerhall, Edinburgh Fringe); Great Expectations (Mercury Theatre); Peter Pan (Reading Rep); Little Women (Dugdale Arts Centre); Ragtime, A Kiss For Cinderella (National Youth Music Theatre); Vanara (Hackney Empire); The Ancestors (National Youth Theatre); Alyssa: Memoirs of a Queen and Public Domain (Vaudeville Theatre); You Are Here, The Fabulist Fox Sister andWasted (Southwark Playhouse); Stages (Vault Festival); On Side Awards (Royal Albert Hall); Into The Woods(Embassy Theatre); A Winter’s Tale (Rose Theatre Kingston); Alice in Wonderland (Old Rep, Birmingham); Constructions of Thin Air (Tilted Productions); Ann Veronica and Ubu Roi (Watermill Theatre); The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (Union Theatre) and Othello (Riverside Studios).

PAUL HERBERT

MUSICAL DIRECTOR

Paul has worked extensively as a Musical Supervisor/Director, Composer, Orchestrator and Vocal Coach and is Associate Musical Director for Perfect Pitch. He is committed to the development and realisation of new musicals.

Recent credits include: Sleeping Beauty (Mercury Theatre); Killing Jack (Queens Theatre Hornchurch); Love Birds (Orchestration, 2023); Carly Paoli The Movie Collection (2023); Rob Brydon, Songs and Stories (Australia/New Zealand Tour 2023); Zog (UK tour, 2023); Smokey Mountain Christmas Carol (West End, 2022); Beauty and the Beast (Mercury Theatre); Zog and the Flying Doctors (UK tour, 2022); Rob Brydon, Songs and Stories (UK tour, 2021/22); Carly Paoli and Friends (Album); Christmas at the Castle (Sky Arts); Adrian Mole (West End); Pieces of String (Mercury Theatre); Carly Paoli (Live in Concert); Moll Flanders (Mercury Theatre); The Jungle Book (UK tour); Son of a Preacher Man (UK tour); The Wipers Times (West End and UK tour); Annie Get Your Gun (Sheffield Crucible); Fallen Angels (Salisbury Playhouse) and Oliver! (Watermill Theatre).

Paul won the Cameron Mackintosh Resident Composer Award for which he was based at the Watermill Theatre. As a composer, he has written the music for several plays and musicals including Lost Soul’s Club, book by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm and Ryan McBryde, which is in development with the Mercury Theatre. Other works include: The Perfect Wife (UK tour); Lia’s Guide to Winning the Lottery (The Bridewell Theatre).

RORY BEATON

LIGHTING DESIGNER

Rory is a freelance lighting designer whose work spans West End, Regional and UK touring productions as well as projects overseas He is the winner of the 2024 Broadway World Award for Best Lighting Design of The Lord of the Rings. He was also nominated for the 2024 WhatsOnStage Award for his work on The Time Traveller’s Wife and a Knight of Illumination Award for his work on Così fan Tutte at Opera Holland Park.

West End credits include: The Time Traveller’s Wife Musical (Apollo); Wild About You (Theatre Royal Drury Lane); The Merchant of Venice 1936 (Criterion); For Black Boys… (Apollo & Garrick); Death Drop: Back in the Habit(Garrick); I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change! (Coliseum); Teenage Armageddon (Garrick).

Other theatre credits Include: Starter for Ten (Bristol Old Vic); The Merchant of Venice 1936 (RSC & UK Tour); Jews. In Their Own Words and For Black Boys… (Royal Court); The Lord of the Rings (Chicago Shakespeare Theate & Watermill); Lovely Ugly City (Almeida); Principles of Deception (Smart Entertainment); Unexpected Twist (UK Tour); The Jungle Book (Chichester); Half Empty Glasses, A Sudden Violent Burst of Rain, The Ultimate Pickle (Paines Plough); Spike (UK Tour); Dishoom! (UK Tour); Summer Holiday, The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (Bolton Octagon); Edward II (Cambridge Arts); West End Producer – Free Willy! (Cuffe & Taylor) and 60 Miles by Road or Rail (Royal & Derngate).

MARK MELVILLE

SOUND DESIGNER

Mark Melville is a composer and sound designer for theatre and film and studied at Leeds Conservatoire. His music and sound design work has been presented across the UK and internationally.

Recent projects include: Kin (Gecko/National Theatre); Romeo and Juliet (Royal Exchange); Nest (M6 Theatre); Around the World in 80 Days (Bolton Octagon); Love the Sinner (Vanishing Point); They Don’t Pay? We Won’t Pay! (Mercury Theatre); Snow Queen (Storyhouse); Flight (Vox Motus/The Bridge Theatre/Barbican); The Metamorphosis (Vanishing Point/Emilia Romagna Teatro, Italy); A Little Space (Gecko/Mind The Gap); Exodus, The Panopticon (National Theatre of Scotland); The Greatest Play in the History of the World… (Tara Finney Productions/Royal Exchange/West End/UK Tour); Frankenstein, Wit, B!rth (Royal Exchange); Human Animals, Violence and Son, God Bless the Child (Royal Court); 1984 (Emilia Romagna Teatro); Tomorrow (Vanishing Point/Cena Contemporânea Festival, Brazil/Brighton Festival/Tramway); Where Do We Belong?, Where Do We Stand? (Northern Stage); Little Gift (M6 Theatre/ AndyManley); Road (Leeds Playhouse); Charlie Sonata (Royal Lyceum Theatre) and Wonderland (Vanishing Point/Napoli Teatro Italia).

CHIHIRO KAWASAKI

MOVEMENT DIRECTOR

Chihiro is a dancer, performing artist, and movement director based in London. She was born and raised in Kyoto, Japan, where she trained in karate and ballet. She then moved to the UK to continue her education at The Arts Educational School, Tring and London Contemporary Dance School.

Chihiro has worked with various artists and companies, including Punchdrunk; Simon McBurney; Ellen Kane; Florence and the Machine (Autumn De Wilde, Ryan Heffington, Akram Khan); Khrungabin and The Chemical Brothers; Bat For Lashes, Amit Lahav (Gecko Theatre). She has also worked on projects such as Google Pixel 7; UNIQLO (Move); The Mummy (Tom Cruise, Alex Reynolds); James Cousins Company and Clod Ensemble.

Chihiro has a passion for movement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and problem-solving. She has benefited from training and teaching Aikido and Pilates and is currently learning how to climb, surf, and read more. Chihiro has a history of assisting directors and choreographers and is excited to contribute to the production.

ALEX TABRIZI

FILMAKER & PHOTOGRAPHER

Alex is of Iranian and Scottish heritage and studied fine art photography at university, as well as the acting techniques of Stanford Meisner & Lee Strasburg and Clowning & Lecoq Physical Theatre. He started his career as an artist, then worked as a 360° product photographer for Selfridges & others before producing a feature film starring Jason Flemyng and Lindsey Colson. After several years working as a freelance videographer and documentary maker, he joined The Barn’s marketing team in 2021, responsible for visual content creation. Notable Barn credits include Stones in His Pockets (CGI content, 2021) and A Portrait of Dorian Gray (Gaffer, 2021).