A Hungarian play inspired by William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream had its world première at Birmingham City University’s Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
Performed by third-year acting students from the University of Theatre and Film Arts of Budapest, Dream Variations marks the third anniversary of a collaboration between the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s acting department and the performing arts institution.
The new production brought to Birmingham formed the basis of the students’ final assessment at the University of Theatre and Film Arts of Budapest. Dream Variations was performed in Hungarian with English subtitles.
It was directed by László Marton, a professor at the University of Theatre and Film Arts of Budapest and artistic director of the Vígszínház—one of Hungary’s leading theatres.
Professor Stephen Simms, vice-principal, acting at Birmingham Conservatoire, said, “László Marton is a world leader in his field and we are deeply honoured to have his work here in Birmingham along with his incredibly talented students from the University of Theatre and Film Arts of Budapest.
“Our strong global reputation as a centre for excellence ensures that we can attract world-class talent to the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. This in turn benefits our students who, for example, are very keen to learn from László Marton’s wealth of experience as an internationally significant contemporary theatre director.”
Dream Variations was performed in The Lab at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, the first production to be staged in its 150-seat space.