A Midsummer Night's Dream - Kareem Alexander Yousri Interview

East London Shakespeare Festival present a new production of A Midsummer Night's Dream this summer.

Bursting with mischief, chaos, romance and magic, this joyful, family-friendly outdoor production reimagines Shakespeare’s hilarious comedy with a bold splash of contemporary flair. Escape into the enchanted forest alongside Hermia, Lysander, Helena and Demetrius as they get more than they bargained for, when a vibrant cast of magical woodland fairies take matters into their own hands.

With ELSF’s signature high-energy numbers, slapstick comedy, and audience participation, this is Shakespeare for everyone! Alongside a community engagement programme with lots of opportunities to get involved.

Kareem Alexander

Romance, magic, feral foraging fairies - what more could you want to bring your summer to life?!

We sat down with cast member Kareem Alexander Yousri, who will play Lysander, Flute and Moth in the production.

How do you physically and vocally differentiate between these three types of characters in a fast-paced outdoor setting?
Both Lysander and Moth are very light heeled. Lysander by his passionate buoyancy and Moth with her feminine elegance. My Flute is in stark contrast to the these two and the rest of the Mechanicals by virtue of his reluctance to participate in the play driven by his concern with appearing masculine and strong. This later adds to the comedic irony when he is forced to play a woman in Thisbe.

Flute famously has to play the female role of Thisbe in the play-within-a-play. How are you and the director approaching the slapstick comedy of Flute’s performance to keep it fresh and hilarious for contemporary audiences?
I’m playing Flute as a reluctant husband who is coerced into participating in the play as a favour to the mechanicals in a bid to save his marriage. However, despite being stubborn uncommitted gives an inspired and sincere performance when he discovers the death of his Pyramus.

What is the key to making that sudden, chaotic shift believable while keeping the comedy high?
The trick here is to play his love to Helena as a juiced up Disney Prince Charming, throwing himself into the fray to be her knight in shining armour.

Without giving too much away, what kind of modern elements or musical styles can audiences expect from the woodland scenes this summer?
You can expect some feel good belters that get everyone clapping and singing along!

Performing outdoors is inherently open to spontaneous events that can either distract or enhance a performance. The trick for an actor is to be able to incorporate the noise or event in a way that serves the text.

How do you prepare for the unpredictability of interacting directly with families and children mid-show?
Our skills of improvisation are key to making fun and silly interactions with the audience. In this sense, each audience member becomes, for that moment my new scene partner and my performance or reactions comes from what is or isn’t coming from that person. Being too prepared or prescriptive is a hindrance rather than a help.

How important is it to you as an actor to strip away the stuffy or academic reputation of Shakespeare and make it accessible to local East London communities?
Shakespeare, especially in his comedies, is a silly and heightened world where an actor is liberated play out ‘larger than life’ forms of emotional or characteristic expression. It has an irresistible pull from actor and audience member to dive into the extremities of the human condition.

How do you balance the broader, physical slapstick comedy with the nuanced romance of the text so that it connects with everyone in the crowd?
In many scenes, both the romance and the slapstick are seamlessly interwoven. For instance, the lovers feud. Each lover is both repelled away from and compelled towards another lover in a farcical outlandish stand-off. The physical manifestation of such and an absurd conflict is visually funny whilst the imagery evoked and word play tends towards for adult minds.

What muscles do you have to flex when returning to the stage for a highly physical, ensemble-led comedy like this?
I like to keep a physical practice going like yoga or tumbling in my spare time to maintain the freedom, command and play of the body.

With a background in music and singing, how has your musicality influenced the rhythm of how you deliver Shakespeare's verse?
Much like a rap or a song it makes the words easier learn and for the ear to listen to. But in performance I try not to think of the structure and playing intention and respond to my scene partner. 

If you could ask Shakespeare a question about the play, what would you ask him?
Was he drinking wine when he wrote the play?!

What was the first piece of theatre that had a big impact on your career?

Funnily enough it was A Midsummer Nights Dream at Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds. I remember being struck by the mesmerising and expansive portrayal of Bottom attempting to recount his dream that was both thought provoking and contagiously liberating.

What keeps you motivated?

What gives me motivation is that I might give that same experience of wonder, joy or sense of communion in the human with another person.

What would you hope someone takes away from seeing A Midsummer Night's Dream?
I would hope that each person takes away their own unique licence to laugh at the complicated and sometimes backward nature of love and the wonder at the natural and supernatural world.

A Midsummer Night's Dream by East London Shakespeare Festival tours London, Thanet and Kent venues throughout the summer. Running from 5th June until 22nd August. For tickets and more information visit https://www.elsf.uk/productions/a-midsummer-nights-dream-2026