Interview with Keiren Hamilton-Amos, A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Birmingham Rep

This month, Joe Murphy and Madeleine Kludje direct a new production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, bringing all of the action into the heart of Birmingham. Hailed by us as a “deliciously camp production, full of glittering wit and pop-laden laughs”, we’re joined by Keiren Hamilton-Amos to find out more about this brilliant addition to Birmingham’s theatre scene this month!

What was it about this production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream which enticed you to audition and be involved?

That it was in Birmingham! As a Birmingham performer, a lot of the time, there aren’t as many opportunities to be able to perform in your hometown, in your home city. So when I saw an opportunity there, I really jumped at it!

Also the fact that I used to be part of Young Rep and A Midsummer Night’s Dream was actually the first Shakespeare that I did! I played one of the mechanical Starveling and that was in The Door, and it was the first time I’d been in the in full costume, with a full set and lights.

So to come back as a professional now and to be in The House to do the same production – it feels like this story has been a part of my like career lineage, so to speak. And I'm really proud. And with it being so integral to Birmingham and so centred around Birmingham, I'm really proud of that.

You play the role of Snug. How have you approached bringing his personality to life in the rehearsal process and have there been any challenges?

Yeah, like with any character you’re developing what you want to do is find the truth of who you are. 

There's going to be stereotypes attached to it, but you have to decide as a performer, “do I lean into those stereotypes?” And if I do, what are the truths of those stereotypes? Because where comedy really lives is in the authenticity and the vulnerability of what is actually happening, which I think is why sometimes comedy can feel forced when it's not grounded in reality.

So what I did for Snug was to try to find what it is that drives him to want to be a part of the Mechanicals and to perform in front of the Duke. Because to me, it’s more than just the money. What’s there beneath that that allows him to, say, “yes, I do want to be a part of this production”.

This production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is set in the heart of Birmingham. How does it stay true to William Shakespeare’s text whilst also remain fresh to a modern audience?

I'd say it’s about 98% Shakespeare with a 2% of our creative license to make sure that Birmingham is embedded in it all. In terms of a fresh take, I think the genius of Shakespeare is that there is always going to be a fresh take! His themes of love, betrayal, forgiveness, and happiness are human themes that transcend time. All Joe and Maddi have done is use those same themes and ask how they apply to today. 

We're living in a society where young people are told, and not even just young people, everyone, is being told who they can love, who is the right person for them, who is the right person for them? And also, with what is going on in terms of current wars, there's just so much happening that seems so out of the control of people, but we as people and a community are the ones being heavily affected by that. So, there's always a truth and a reality to Shakespeare when it's presented in modern times because those themes are timeless and endless.

Do you relate to your character or any of the others in this production in any way?

I think I relate to all of them! There's a mischievousness that we all have which is represented by Puck. There's Demetrius, who feels like he should love one person because that's what he's been told to do, and that's the lineage, and that's the line, but loves somebody else. The same for Hermia, Lysandra and Helena. We've all been in circumstances where love isn't as simple as, you know, some of the films make it out to be, so there's always that truth of what society thinks I should do and what actually I want to do.

What’s been the most surprising discovery you’ve made about Snug during rehearsals?

I think the most surprising thing is that after all the grounding that I gave Snug, he is so attached to who I am as a person. But I don’t think I realised that until getting into the final scene where the Mechanicals present the play to the Duke. Snug just has that joy of just performing, of you know, seeing something through to the end. And as you know, you develop in your career as an actor, you become quite used to the format and the process of creating work and performing it. But what actually living that character did was allow me to reinvigorate that kind of fire inside my belly of, “Oh, that's the feeling”. 

That's the feeling that I got the first time I ever performed and that feeling is overwhelming. There's a joy, there's a pride to it, and there's a real freedom of it. And that's the thing that's really surprised me, the freedom that performance can have and does have.

What can audience’s look forward to with this production? Are there any particular elements that will enhance their experience?

It's just a good night out!  If you're looking for a laugh, looking for the heartstrings to be pulled, looking for neon lights and ribbons and sunglasses and water guns. We've got it all.

So, this isn't theatre as you'd normally see it. This is an experience, and a Birmingham experience at that.

Have you discovered any deeper themes or messages in Snug’s character beyond the comedy?

Just what I referenced before, the real joy and the pride you can feel in just creating an idea and then seeing that idea come into fruition and people responding positively to it. The pride that that feeling carries and that kind of understanding , just kind of folds into the rest of your life and your day-to-day life for Snug, the joiner.

If you could play any other character in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, who would it be and why?

I think I'd say Puck!  For the mischievousness of it and the playful nature of that role. 

But I'd also love to play either Bottom or Oberon just because it's something that I've not really been able to do yet. Bottom is a such a historically comedic character and I think what Omar Malik (performer of Bottom) has managed to find the grounding and the true essence of Bottom as a real person rather than just this archetype or stereotype of what we think it should be. It's just really grounded. 

And for Oberon, who Hayden Oakley plays, I think it's the ability to switch from being grounded, dominant and commanding to playful, airy, joyous and loving. And I think that kind of switch between the two would be such an interesting challenge for me.

Finally, why should people see this production at the Birmingham Rep?

This is a Birmingham production. The voices that you hear, the accents that you hear, the references you hear - they're all familiar. 

In this industry, quite typically we are told that our Birmingham accents aren't really what the industry want. But what Joe and Maddi, the directors, have done has allowed us to lean into these regional accents: Birmingham, Coventry, Nottingham, Wolverhampton, even Welsh and really lean into it! 

We get to represent this community with different voices, different sounds, different kind of slang words being used. So, when people come and watch this, they’ll see themselves properly represented rather than what sometimes Shakespeare can feel like, inaccessible, because of the accents or the language that feels like it’s for, the elites of the world. Where in actual fact William Shakespeare created a lot of his work, for the community and for would be considered the quote-unquote the common man. 

Joe and Maddi have really restored the community aspect and that grip on Shakespeare that I believe he intended for us to have.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream plays at Birmingham Rep until 24 May.