Hamilton star Karl Queensborough will play Demetrius, with Queer as Folk’s Carla Henry in the role of Titania.
Karl Queensborough, who was most recently seen in the title role of the hit musical Hamilton in London’s West End, will play Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the first theatre production at HOME’s pop-up Summer outdoor venue, Homeground.
Karl attended the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and his theatre credits include White Teeth (The Kiln, 2018), The Little Matchgirl (Bristol Old Vic and Shakespeare’s Globe, 2017) and Aladdin (The Lyric Theatre, 2016).
Joining him with be Carla Henry in the role of Titania. She is best known for playing the role of Donna in Queer As Folk, and has also been seen in Manchester at the Royal Exchange and Contact. Playing opposite Carla will be Harry Jardine, reprising the role of Oberon. Most recently seen as Toad in Metta Theatre’s hip hop musical In The Willows, he has also appeared in The Secret Seven (Storyhouse, 2017) and Twelfth Night (Filter, 2015).
Playing Puck will be the show’s director, Ferdy Roberts, who is also Filter’s co-artistic director, and an associate artist at The Lyric Hammersmith. He has previously appeared in Girl from the North Country (Gielgud), Plaques & Tangles (Royal Court), Macbeth (Filter Theatre) and Shakespeare in Love (Noel Coward Theatre), and his film and television credits include Foyle’s War, What You Will and The Bill.
Rounding out the cast of the human lovers will be David Judge as Lysander, Misha Duncan-Barry as Helena, and Leah Walker as Hermia.
David Judge recently been seen at the National Theatre in Romeo and Juliet and My Brilliant Friend and has also appeared at HOME in 2019 in SparkPlug. Misha has recently appeared in Hope Mill Theatre’s One Good Night and Hamlet, and at HOME in Box Of Tricks’ Playbox Takeover. Leah Walker has been seen on television in Steve McQueen’s Small Axe, and on stage at the Royal Lyceum in Duchess of Malfi and at the Octagon Theatre Bolton in Hamlet and Jane Eyre.
Director, comedian, actor, voice actor and jazz musician Ed Gaughan will play Quince. Ed has written, performed and directed work for and with many of the UK’s most loved comedians, sketch teams and theatre companies including Milton Jones, Pappy’s, and The National Theatre of Scotland, and created additional material, especially for this show. The iconic part of Bottom, Shakespeare’s most famous clown will be played by a different special guest every night.
The band is completed by London Snorkelling Team founding members MD Chris Branch, who has recently completed major new composition commissions with Dreamworks, the BBC and The Royal Opera House, and composer, sound designer and trombonist Pascal Wyse. On drums will be Filter Theatre regular Alan Pagan.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a Lyric Hammersmith and Filter Theatre production, opening at Homeground on Thursday, 3 June and running until Saturday, 26 June. The show is directed by Sean Holmes and Ferdy Roberts, with design by Hyemi Shin,. Sound design and original music is by Tom Haines and Chris Branch, and the assistant director is Poppy Clifford.
Tickets cost £10 for adults and £5 for children, and are available to book here.