The fates of four couples in love intertwine through dizzying twists in the forest on Midsummer Night. The result is a magical and romantic world that, behind its beauty, nonetheless reveals human nature and raises questions about the relationship between life and art, reality and dreams, body and mind, and the possibilities of transformation.

The well-known plot of a well-known author—William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream"—is coming to the main stage of the Croatian National Theatre in Split, directed by Paolo Magelli and produced by the Croatian National Theatre in Varaždin.

"This text speaks of the inscrutability of life, the difference between reality and illusion, and whether dreams can improve our return to reality. Shakespeare clearly says they cannot because reality is unchangeable. Within the play, a million other things are at work, all fantastically intertwined. This is the second time in my life that I'm directing 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' and more than 20 years ago, I also worked on it in a translation by Željka Udovičić Pleština. Great writers like Shakespeare return like vampires because their themes are eternal," said Magelli about Shakespeare's masterpiece, which he worked on more than 20 years ago.

Željka Udovičić Pleština is also credited with dramaturgy, and the music for the play was created by Magelli's longtime collaborators Damir Martinović Mrle and Ivanka Mazurkijević. The set design is by Ivan Marušić Klif, the costume design is by Marita Ćopo, and the lighting is by Luka Matić.

The Croatian National Theatre in Varaždin will perform on the Split stage as part of the K-HNK program. The day after Shakespeare's "Dream," the audience will also have the chance to see the play "Waiting for Orestes" by Lada Kaštelan, directed by Livija Pandur. Tickets are already on sale and can be purchased at the Theatre box office or online.