Benjamin Britten: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
Book opera tickets for A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Blackwater Valley Opera Festival 2025.
Benjamin Britten’s acclaimed opera, based on Shakespeare’s popular comedy, spins a tale of chaos unleashed by a feud between fairy-king Oberon and his queen, Titania – where mistaken identities, magical mishaps and alarming transformations ensue.
Date & Time: Weds 28 May, Fri 30 May, Sat 31 May, Sun 1 June at 7.30pm
Venue: Lismore Castle, Lismore, Waterford
Music: Benjamin Britten Libretto: Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears
Language: English Duration: 3hrs 15 mins (includes 40 minute interval)
TICKET PRICES: €50.00 – €220.00
A limited number of Restricted View Tickets are available for opera performances at Lismore Castle – click below to BOOK OPERA for more information.
Cast
| Iestyn Morris | Oberon |
| Ami Hewitt | Tytania |
| Barry McGovern | Puck |
| Christopher Cull | Theseus |
| Gemma Ní Bhriain | Hippolyta |
| Peter O’Reilly | Lysander |
| Gregory Feldmann | Demetrius |
| Sarah Richmond | Hermia |
| Amy Ní Fhearraigh | Helena |
| Dominic Veilleux | Bottom |
| Jakob Mahase | Quince |
| Conor Prendiville | Flute |
| Rory Dunne | Snug |
| Seán Tester | Snout |
| Massimo Modoni | Starveling |
| Cobweb/ Peaseblossom/Mustardseed/Moth | Piccolo Lasso |
| Chorus of Fairies | Piccolo Lasso & Music Generation Waterford |
Creative Team
| Conductor | David Brophy |
| Director | Patrick Mason |
| Set & Light Design | Paul Keogan |
| Costume Design | Catherine Fay |
| Orchestra | Irish Chamber Orchestra |
| Children’s Choir | Piccolo Lasso | Discover Singing Children’s Choir |
All performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream are now sold out.
Click Here to book your Opera Picnics and Formal Opera Dining
You can also check remaining ticket availability for Dido and Aeneas below.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
– In Conversation
Join BVOF Artistic Director Dieter Kaegi for an evening in conversation with the creative visionaries shaping this year’s opera. Tuesday 27 May at 6pm - Lismore Heritage Centre, Waterford.
FREE EVENT
BOOK HERE
Henry Purcell: DIDO and AENEAS
Dido and Aeneas is an iconic Baroque opera by Henry Purcell with a libretto by Nahum Tate. It was composed around 1688 and had been performed at Josias Priest’s girls’ school in London by the end of 1689. Based on Book IV of Virgil’s Aeneid, the opera narrates the tragic love story of Dido, Queen of Carthage, and the Trojan hero Aeneas. The tale unfolds with Dido’s passionate love for Aeneas and culminates in her despair and ultimate demise when he forsakes her. A seminal work in Baroque opera, Dido and Aeneas is celebrated as one of Purcell’s most distinguished theatrical achievements. Notably, it is Purcell’s only fully sung opera and represents one of the earliest known examples of English opera, significantly influenced by John Blow’s Venus and Adonis in both structure and impact.
Date & Time: Tues 27 May, Thurs 29 May at 9.45pm
Venue: St. Carthage’s Cathedral, Lismore, Waterford
Music: Henry Purcell Duration: 60 minutes+/-
CAST: Paula Murrihy – Dido/Sorceress | Dean Murphy – Aeneas| Kelli-Ann Masterson – Belinda/First Witch | Susie Gibbons – Second Lady/Second Witch | Anastasia Sereda – Spirit | Patrick Hyland – Sailor
Orchestra: Irish Baroque Orchestra | Conductor: Nicholas McGegan
TICKET PRICES: €40.00 / Limited €20.00 concession
OPERA SUPPER PACKAGE: Fuller’s Bistro Lismore – Sold Out
Tuesday Evening
27 May at 9.45pm
BOOK NOW
