Shakespeare Theatre Company stages A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Harman Hall from December 4, 2026, through January 10, 2027, with puppets devised by Basil Twist (My Neighbor Totoro) and featured creatures built by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. Fun to picture Kermit as Puck? Maybe not this time… But this forest is all new, and it might be the most magical holiday ticket in town.
Basil Twist and the Creature Shop Share the Stage
Artistic Director Simon Godwin directs, with Melanie Field as Titania and Hippolyta and Ben Turner as Oberon and Theseus. Twist, the only American graduate of France’s national puppetry school, told BroadwayWorld that puppets will pop up in unexpected ways across the fairy and forest worlds. This marks his fourth project with the Creature Shop. Get a sneak peek in the production video.
The Muppet Man Got His Start in Our Neck of the Woods
DYK? Jim Henson grew up in the Maryland suburbs, and in a modest University Park house he made his first Kermit from his mother’s faded turquoise coat and a Ping-Pong ball cut in half. He took a new puppetry class at the University of Maryland in 1954, where he met his future wife, Jane Nebel, according to UMD. A bronze Henson still sits beside Kermit outside the Stamp Student Union in College Park.
Who Should Grab Seats for This Dream
Families, Henson devotees, and anyone who wants a holiday outing beyond The Nutcracker will feel right at home. We say pair it with a pre-show dinner in Penn Quarter. Its about two and a half hours with one intermission, it’s a long night for the youngest fans (ticket listings suggest ages 6 and up).
Harman Hall sits at 610 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20004, steps from the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro. Tickets start around $46 on TodayTix, with prices rising for peak holiday dates, and STC sells seats online. Book early for holiday weekends.
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