8-5MSND

//Answer Prepared by Michelle B.//**
 * How was Midsummer Night's Dream produced, preformed, and received by audiences recently at Shakespeare's Globe in London, Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Open Air Regent's Park in London, American Players Theatre in Madison, and Chicago Shakespeare Theatre in Chicago?



As we all know, Shakespeare was famous for his remarkable writing. One of Shakespeare’s famous plays is A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which is about twisted love in Athens and the process it takes for everyone to end up with the right person. Some of the main characters in this play are Hermia, the daughter of Egeus, who is forcing her to wed Demetrius, not the love of her life Lysander. Helena, one of Hermia’s best friends is in fact in love with Demetrius and automatically believes that Hermia wants to steal him away from her. Hermia and Lysander decide to run away so they can be together, and Helena and Demetrius follow. In the woods that they run to, a mischievous fairy named Puck, tangles up the love circles even more, leaving Hermia with no one. Also, there is a group of actors under direction from Peter Quince that want to perform for the Queen and King of Athens wedding. A man named Nick Bottom who thinks a little to highly of himself gets the head of a donkey while rehearsing in the woods. There are many more exciting characters, and as the play progresses, when you think things couldn’t get more scrambled up, they do. Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been preformed at many theaters around the world, and there are a few specific ones that have done a remarkable job. For each version of the show there were many people who had to step in, and get involved in figuring out what they wanted the tone of the whole show to be. After they have developed this tone, then they can figure out what they want their stage and set to look like. For instance, if they were doing a modern day adaptation they could make the set on the busy streets of New York City, and then the forest could be Central Park. Also, once they have set the tone they are able to do casting, because they know what they want each actor or actress to bring to life in the characters, so they want to choose the best person for each job.

At Shakespeare’s Globe in London, A Midsummer Night’s dream was taken, and preformed as a witty comedy, with the seriousness of it deep into its layers. This newer take on the play was loved my all who got the opportunity to see it. This version of the show did follow the main story line, but was preformed in a bawdy way. As they say on //Shakespeare’s Globe// on the “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” page, “Shakespeare put some of his most dazzling dramatic poetry at the service of this sparkling comedy. A teasing, glittering, very funny and amazingly inventive play, whose seriousness is fleetingly glimpsed beneath its dreamlike surface.” This would tell me that people really enjoyed the way that the Globe has chosen to perform one of Shakespeare’s most entertaining love stories.

At the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-Upon-Avon, according to //Royal Shakespeare Company// “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” this production was “A feast of magic, music, humor and spectacle, //A Midsummer Night's Dream// is one of Shakespeare's best-loved comedies. The boundaries between reality and imagination merge as the characters find themselves caught in a web of magic in the Athenian woods.” The main characters were played by, Joe Dixon, who in this performance played Bottom, but has acted with the company for quite some time. Peter de Jersey is playing Oberon, and Peter also has had lots of experience with the Company. Also, Mark Hadfield is playing Puck, but he too has preformed in numerous other RSC productions. For the first time ever with RSC, Kathryn Drysdale is playing Hermia. This show took the original Shakespearian plot, but set it in a modern day style, which made it really easy for people to relate to what was going on. According to all who have seen this great production, it is not something that you should miss.

At the Open Air Theater in London, A Midsummer’s Night Dream has become a classic. Recently, the theater has taken the original story and combined it with modern acting, which is to bring humor into this twisted love story. The casting director, Ginny Schiller chose these people for the lead roles. Laura Donnelly played Hermia, Puck was played by Matthew Hart, Oberon and Demetrius were played by Ben Joiner, Titania and Helena by Annette McLaughlin, Lysander by Nicholas Shaw, and lastly Bottom by Dale Superville. As Sarah Hemming from the Financial Times said on //Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre// “Past Shows: A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” this show was “A good, clear and funny production…and the cast’s clarity of diction and bright, open performances make for a vivacious show”

At Chicago Shakespeare Theater, A Midsummer Night’s Dream was turned into multilingual sensation. Tim Supple, chose to have 23 actors, dancers, musicians, street acrobats, and martial arts experts from India and Sri Lanka take on the classic Shakespeare roles, and transform them into updated characters. Half of the show is in English and the other half is in the seven languages that the actors primarily speak. According to //Chicago Shakespeare Theater// “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” The Herald said that this performance was, “The brightest, most topsy-turvy breath of fresh air the bard has received.”

American Players Theater, in Spring Green, Wisconsin gives a whole new setting for a Midsummer Night’s Dream. At this theater, performances can be preformed outdoors, under the stars, or indoors. A Midsummer Night’s Dream was enormously popular, and Carrie A. Coon was thought to be phenomenal in her part as Helena. Some of the other parts were played by: Carrey Cannon who played Hippolyta, Daragh Kennan who played Peter Quince, Tiffany Scott who played Hermia, Jonathan Smoots who played Bottom, and Marcus Truschinski who played Puck. The great cast brought to life the twisted love triangles and confused acting by the Rude Mechanicals to make an outstanding performance.

[|Click here to see Midsummer at American Players Theater!]

=Works Cited= Brandenberg, Aliki. //Shakespeare and the Globe//. United states: unknown, 1999. Print.

Halliday, F.E. //Shakespeare and his World//. 1. United States: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1979. Print.

Morley, Jackqueline. //Shakespeare's Theater//. New York City: Peter Bedrick Books, Print.

Smith, Irwin. //Shakespeare's Globe Playhouse//. United states: Chandler Scribner's sons, 1956. Print.

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unknown, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” __Chicago Shakespeare Theater.__ unknown. 12 Mar 2009 .