It's the 1980s and the king of the raggare, Johnny Teseus, comes to the village in his American car. At the same time, three raggare youths, including his daughter, are lured deep into the forest along with the white-collar worker's son, Lars-Anders, "presumably from Härnösand."
1986 and raggare culture are a wonderful environment to be in. All of this takes place in a very emotional world, says director Rasmus Lindberg.
For him, it was obvious to set Shakespeare's comedy in the countryside of Västernorrland and make the Duke the king of raggare.
"This is the Mecca of raggare culture. There is a motor culture in this area, with lots of power meets and car museums in Härnösand," he says.
It felt like a good collision between nature and machine, between love potion and gasoline fumes.
“Drunkenness and hedonism”
Rasmus Lindberg also wanted to weave in Swedish Midsummer.
I found it exciting to lean into the Swedish Midsummer tradition of drunkenness and hedonism. I myself was born on the day nine months after Midsummer. This is a time for letting loose, when rules no longer apply.
Rasmus Lindberg has a special relationship with this particular play and speaks of it as the very reason why he works in theater.
As a child, he was behind the scenes at the Roma Theatre on Gotland where his father performed Shakespeare under the open sky in the castle ruins. "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" was the Roma Theatre’s first production, and Rasmus Lindberg, aged ten, learned the lines by heart.
This is emotional for me, really.
In parking lots
Northern car culture is also a theme in Theater Västerbotten's summer production "Our Driving Force", which tours various parking lots in Vännäs and Dorotea, among others. Tove Berglund's performance is in collaboration with local motoring associations but not connected with the raggare theater at Murberget in Härnösand.
Rasmus Lindberg sees the two theaters' car theme as a reflection of the collective consciousness.
I imagine Felicia is involved in this, with the EPA dunk and Miss Snusk. We have "Ride me like a Dala horse" when Titania partners with Botten.
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" premieres at Murberget's Open Air Theatre on June 20.
"The Twelvepenny Opera" with Teater Gävleborg moves to Hälsingland's wooden theatre in Järvsö, premiere June 19.
"Liljecrona's Home" by Selma Lagerlöf, at Västanå Theatre in Sunne, premiere June 20.
"Caught on the Net" at the Krusenstiernska Theatre in Kalmar, an online-dating farce with Robert Gustafsson, Hanna Hedlund and others. Premiere June 25.
"The hustler - if we have time!" after an 18th-century farce by Ludvig Holberg with Kulleteatern touring in Uppland and the Stockholm area. Premiere July 3.
"The One Taken by the Mountain" by Victoria Benedictsson, at Hagestad's summer theatre in Löderup. Premiere July 8.
"Couple Dinner at the Franck Family" by Maria Blom with Folkteatern i Dalarna at Löfnäs loge in Sundborn. New premiere August 22.
