Le Songe d'une nuit d'été
The abbey's 40th-edition summer open-air theatre production: Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream in the ruins.
Promote a heritage theatre experience by positioning the 40-year tradition of Shakespeare in historic ruins as a unique cultural destination for summer tourism and local engagement.
- 40 years of Shakespeare under the stars: celebrate the abbey's iconic summer tradition
- Experience A Midsummer Night's Dream in an enchanted ruin—where theatre meets history
- Summer bucket-list moment: outdoor Shakespeare in an atmospheric heritage setting
For its 40th edition in 2026, the Abbaye de Villers-la-Ville presents an adaptation of William Shakespeare's emblematic work "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Directed by Thierry Debroux, the production immerses spectators in an enchanted forest populated with fairies, lost lovers and unpredictable spells. Faithful to Villers' DNA, the spectacle unfolds across multiple performance spaces within the abbey, including the cloister, nave and choir. A grand spectacle rich in quiproquos, pursuits, and surrealist inventions, infused with lightness and a playful universe Open-air immersive theatre where heritage becomes a living stage, with thousands of spectators wandering through abbey ruins Spectacular scenographic staging deployed across the abbey's spaces: cloister, nave and choir Merveilleux associated with comedy, where imagination is reinforced by dream powers and magical love philters celebrating love at first sight An iconic summer cultural event in Belgium with millions of attendees over 40 years