Royal Exchange cancellation due to pro-Palestine and trans rights song

A five-week run of A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been cancelled at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.

A modern take on the Shakespeare classic was due to run from September 6 until October 12, but ticket holders were contacted to say the production’s run was cancelled due to a “number of issues with the production”.

According to Manchester Evening News, a row broke out following an internal preview of the show over a song which referred to trans rights and the phrase 'free Palestine'.

The newspaper has reported theatre bosses called for the section to be removed, but the show’s director, Stef O’Driscoll, insisted it should remain in the show, with the support of her cast.

“They did the first preview, at which point the theatre said they are going to have to cut the reference to trans rights and free Palestine,” according to a source close to the production. “The director said – no, this is my direction, it's what it's always been, we've had weeks and months and you are now trying to change it after the first preview. The company were very solid and unified.”

Union Equity confirmed that the cast and workforce have been paid for the run in full, with the cancellation expected to have cost the theatre tens of thousands of pounds.

“We are supporting members in dealing with the impact of this cancellation on their wellbeing and future relationships with the venue,” an Equity spokesperson said. “Whilst we're pleased that the workforce will not be out of pocket, the issues that have led to the cancellation of the production require further discussion with Manchester Royal Exchange.”

The union added it had contacted the theatre requesting a meeting to discuss the cancellation and the impact on our members. “We remain very concerned about this situation and its impact on our members,” the statement added.