Brisbane Immersive Ensemble’s contemporary version of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ portrayed a twisted tale of love and hypnotism in a flurry of enchanted pandemonium.

Although, it seemed confusing and somewhat chaotic to start with, what unfolded was a delightful comedy of events.

When the show started outside and the performers were all part of the audience I wasn’t sure what to expect.

It was a spectacle like I’d never seen before and truly interactive, with my husband taking a call from one of the ex-boyfriends, who ended up being a main character.

There were story plots, layered hilarious characters performing a play, sword swallowing, dancing, comedy, music and numerous other carnie conundrums happening all at once and building into one side-splitting culmination.

The story revealed four young lovers tangled together by a meddlesome hypnotist to the tunes of fabulous gypsy jazz musicians.

We found ourselves following the characters from room to room waiting for the next unexpected piece of the pie.

Loved the Shakespearean dialect fused with comedic improvisation.

The Powerhouse venue is one I always love, however no air-conditioning in the Queensland summer heat did detract from the wonderful performances surrounding us.

I was grateful for the fans and water, but would have enjoyed it so much more if the venue was air-conditioned.

Overall it was a fabulous, unusual routine that I thoroughly enjoyed and would highly recommend.

I’d actually love to see it again as there was so much going on I think the second time around I’d choose different rooms to be in to see a completely altered version.

The show started outside, allowing you to be drawn in by the fantasy and the production.

At once, you were immersed into the atmosphere.

There was always something going on, to keep you entertained.

Everywhere you looked, something was transpiring.

At times it was hard to know where to look and what to do, but it was spectacular.

The actors tried very hard to involve all the participants and it changed the whole atmosphere.

Great show!

Although a little slow and confusing to start, the plot soon unfolded and new characters kept emerging from the crowd, surprising the audience and drawing us in.

It was clever, witty and fun.

And just the right amount of audience participation.

The audience genuinely felt a part of the show and the actors were wonderful in their audience interactions.

There was a lot of laughs and it was fun following the characters from room to room as the story unfolded.

A Midsummer Carnival allows you to experience Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream like never before.

Led through a warehouse by a ragtag clan of carnies, the audience becomes a participant in this theatre meets “choose your own adventure”.

I revelled in the complete freedom to curate my own theatre experience, in my own time, wandering from room to room as the performers surround and interact with you.

Time flies in this play, as you will have the chance to join a seance, write a play, have your fortune told, see sword swallowing and so much more.

It was wonderful to see that the audience wasn’t shy, joining in the fun, clapping and contributing enthusiastically.

As plot points play out in each room simultaneously, one may find the plot meandering if they are not familiar with the original play, however, I don’t think this would affect one’s enjoyment whatsoever!

In any case, I would recommend seeing the play twice in order to see parts that you miss!

Well done to the local team who created this immersive, funny and thrilling work – I look forward to seeing more from them in future.

When the performers are outside the theatre performing circus and comedy routine prior to the start of the performance, you immediately know that this show will be a little different.

The performers themselves are in the audience and will start to perform and recite the words in formal Shakespearean English, the audience is intrigued and a little unsettled (in a good way).

The location, environment and lack of air conditioning impacted negatively on the ability to immerse and enjoy the performance.

The show was performed in four different sections of a small area and it was difficult to concentrate on one element of the storyline.

It was extremely humid in there and the performers were definitely suffering.

However, if these issues could be resolved then it would be so much easier and enjoyable to follow the refreshing interpretation.

Fantastic costumes, actors displayed 100% focus on their character and storyline, actors in the audience seeking participation of the audience to pass a message to other stage characters was funny.

A fusion of a Shakespearean play with sword swallowing, dancing, fairground games, musicians, humour and comedy all performed in one show is an achievement.

It was a complex representation with different elements being performed simultaneously in the room and corridor.

Audience members were engaged and willing to ignore the uncomfortable environment in order to appreciate the passion of the actors.

Please improve the air conditioning and acoustics to allow all those present to enjoy the performance in comfort without suffering from the lack of a cool breeze.

The provision of fans and water was not enough.

I’ll start by admitting I do not know too much about Shakespeare’s A Midsummers Nights Dream and if you do see this show, please, PLEASE do some prior reading!

This show is nothing like your usual “sit down and experience a performance on the confines of the stage”.

This immersive and interactive piece of theatre puts you right in the production itself, with the opportunity to interact with the characters and be literally standing within the performance space.

My favourite part was definitely the level of talent and characterisation the actors brought to the table; all very quick in their improvisations and scenes were very interesting to watch.

You were definitely encouraged to be immersed in multiple tales at once.

The main downside to this however, as someone who isn’t familiar with the plot got quite lost and it was very hard to follow along.

This type of show isn’t my usual pick, but if you’re a fan of amazing acting, game enough to pluck up the courage to get involved and a bit of a Shakespeare buff do yourself a favour.

Roll up, roll up, join in the fun of a midsummer carnival at the Brisbane Powerhouse.

Enjoy the delights of the sideshow alley, become beguiled by the fairies and tremble in fear at the knife-thrower’s skills.

Shakespeare isn’t in Stratford-Upon-Avon anymore.

His story of love, drama and mischief has been transported to a hot, sweaty and humid Brisbane.

The carnival drips with sweat, love and farce and is fused with gypsy jazz music, burlesque performers and hypnotism.

It’s an homage to Shakespeare, but it’s not a Comedy of Errors nor Much Ado about Nothing, it’s a re-imagined A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream.

The fun of the immersive experience kicks off outside in the courtyard of the Powerhouse historical stores building with a proposal of marriage by a deliriously happy young man to the love of his life.

The story moves inside to a magical circle of fairies, then like a kaleidoscope it transforms into a sideshow alley where the “mechanicals” squabble and jostle.

Throughout the evening the action and drama shifts from the hapless “mechanicals” who prepare a play to perform for the wedding to the interfering fairies who create havoc with the two pairs of young lovers leading to a blindfolded duel.

A Midsummer Carnival is presented by Brisbane Immersive Ensemble, creators of Cluedo: The Interactive Game in partnership with the Brisbane Powerhouse.

Don’t miss out! Buy your tickets now.

The season runs from 24 January to 8 February 2020.

I love going to theatre at The Powerhouse as it’s such a beautiful venue and easy to get to on the CityCat.

This was my first visit to Stores Building. Being held in a warehouse had its ups and downs.

Lovely sitting outside for the first act and then each room had a different showcase and subplot.

All running simultaneously, so a bit confusing for someone like me who did not know the play.

In fact, the audience seemed to be a bit divided.

Those who were a bit unsure of the unusual theatre set up and those audience members who knew the play – they were in stitches of laughter for much of the evening.

I was certainly conscious of how much work the actors would have put into learning their lines and the actors were very accomplished, confident and convincing in their roles.

But the Brisbane Summer heat was almost unbearable and a bit of a distraction.

The cast did hand out water and fans to use which helped. Suggest wearing light summer clothes.

Highlight for me was the free-roaming musicians and the sword eater (something I have never seen before).

Lots of variety with a bit of dance, singing and acrobatics.

It was nice to engage with the actors and feel soo close to all of the action.

It was novel to be immersed into the action – almost like being in a virtual reality game, and would definitely recommend anyone who has ever studied this play to go along and see the show as it’s truly unique and you won’t regret it.

I left feeling intrigued and wanting to revisit Shakespearian plays of my youth.

The acting was really good.

All of the characters were true to their characters the whole time, even when they came around to interact with us, even when we had 21st century questions for them.

It was great. They really are talented people.

The format is that of a carnival with many things going on at once, which is both fascinating and led to some difficulties for me.

I found there was too much going on at the same time so whatever performance I was watching, I could hear laughter and shouts from the other area of the carnival and knew I missed something that would have been great to see.

Given the nature of the performance, there was no way to actually go back and see what was happened so a part of the story / entertainment was missed.

The only way to catch what was missed would be to go to the performance again at a different time.

That said, now that I have experienced it once, I feel I would enjoy it a second time.

Not only to catch up on what I missed the first time but to further explore interactions with the cast members and immerse myself in it even more.

One thing to be cautious of though the venue – while a great space to fit the performance (it really is laid out well), there is no air conditioning and the current humidity and temperature levels mean it’s a very sticky, sweaty experience.

They do provide loads of ice water and some fans for your use, though if you plan to go to dinner afterwards you may want to plan some time to shower and freshen up beforehand.