The Joffrey Ballet boldly closes its 2023-24 season with the return of Midsummer Night’s Dream by internationally renowned Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman. Premiered by The Joffrey Ballet to North American audiences in 2018 with critical acclaim, Ekman’s Midsummer Night’s Dream is a mind-bending trip to a surreal realm of unearthly delights. Far from a Shakespearean tale, this fully immersive theatrical experience pays homage to the summer solstice and the Scandinavian Midsummer holiday—a time of uproarious celebration, mystery, adventure, and love. Midsummer Night’s Dream is presented in 10 performances only at the historic Lyric Opera House, 20 North Upper Wacker Drive, from April 25-May 5, 2024.

“Alexander Ekman dares to be bold with Midsummer Night’s Dream, creating an astonishing dance/theater performance of tremendous theatricality and scale,” said The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE. “Playing to the strengths of Joffrey Company Artists to convey the evolution of our art form, woven together with the trailblazing talents of Ekman’s creative team, Midsummer gifts audiences with an unforgettable experience to end our 2023-24 season.”

“The Joffrey Ballet’s premiere of Ekman’s Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2018 reverberated throughout Chicago long after the curtains closed,” says Greg Cameron, President and CEO of The Joffrey Ballet. “Bringing to life our founder Robert Joffrey’s vision to embrace the new and the bold, Midsummer awakens our appreciation for the arts and its power to feed energy into our lives, and the great creative spirit of Chicago.”

Midsummer features a commissioned score by Swedish composer Mikael Karlsson, who has partnered with Ekman on several major works, including his popular contemporary work Tulle, which received its US premiere by The Joffrey Ballet in 2015. Swedish indie rock sensation Anna von Hausswolff will also join the Joffrey dancers on-stage to perform three songs for Ekman’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, live at every performance. Von Hausswolff is best known for pushing the limits of metal, experimental pop, and progressive rock.

A production in two acts with costumes by Bregje van Balen (former dancer with Nederlands Dance Theatre) and original set/lighting designs by Linus Fellbom (credited with more than 200 productions, including the world tour for Swedish rock band Refused), Midsummer Night’s Dream made its world premiere with The Royal Swedish Ballet in 2015 and is widely considered Ekman’s wildest and most daring production. Ekman’s ode to the longest day of the year follows a traditional Midsummer festival—from a passionate, lively celebration by day to a whirlwind dream by night. Ekman’s picturesque fusion of classical and contemporary ballet blurs the line between the real and the imagined, making audiences wonder, was it all just a dream?

Celebrated around the globe for his cutting-edge creativity, Ekman has collaborated with companies worldwide to create award-winning works that both entertain and challenge the observer. Midsummer Night’s Dream will be the fourth work by Ekman that The Joffrey Ballet has performed; past productionnclude his critically acclaimed Joy (April 2017) and Tulle in 2015, along with the wild and rhythmic Episode 31.

Midsummer Night’s Dream features live music performed by the Lyric Opera Orchestra, conducted by Scott Speck, Music Director of The Joffrey Ballet.