Opening: NT's Timon of Athens, Svengali, Complete World of Sports

A Midsummer Night's Dream
16 July 2012

Shakespeare's classic comedy of magic and confused love, brought centre stage as part of the annual Almeida festival. The court of Athens is reimagined as an inner-city school to help play up fairy-forest contrasts. Until 21 July.

Timon of Athens
17 July 2012
(Previews from 10 July)

Simon Russell Beale plays the titular noble, who loses his money and abandons the world upon finding the hollowness of his false friends. Playing at the National Theatre until 31 October.

Svengali
17 July 2012
(Previews from 10 July)

Derren Brown's Olivier-winning magic show returns to the Novello for a limited run. Features his well-televised misdirection and mind-tricks in the flesh. Until 11 August.

Ten Billion
18 July 2012
(Previews from 12 July)

New science-drama on overpopulation, written in collaboration with an Oxford professor. "A vivid portrait of a species with its head in the sand." Until 11 August.

The Complete World of Sports
18 July 2012
(Previews from 17 July)

Olympic-centric offering from The Reduced Shakespeare Company, compressing the world's biggest sporting event into one comically manageable show á la The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). Until 25 August.

Hotel Medea
21 July 2012
(Previews from 20 July)

Zecora Ura's 6-hour, midnight-til-dawn participatory extravaganza takes residence in the Southbank Centre on Friday and Saturday nights. Expect to dance, sleep and be chased around, until 11 August.