By Ashley Brickner, News Editor
Shakespeare club and Second Stage are eagerly preparing to debut their rendition of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on Thursday, May 2 at 8:30 p.m. and Friday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m. in Degenstein Theatre.
William Shakespeare wrote “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in 1595-1596. The comedy takes place in the fictional world of Athens, and it focuses on the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. Yet, Shakespeare integrated many subplots into the play including the struggles of four Athenian lovers. Another subplot follows a group of six amateur actors rehearsing the play they plan to perform at Theseus and Hippolyta’s wedding. The groups venture out into the forest only to encounter the fairies inhabiting it. Devising their own fiendish plan, the fairies manipulate the humans into enacting outlandish endeavors. Imbued with relatable humor and magical realism, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” continues to reign as a fan favorite.
The Shakespeare club’s upcoming performance is the first time since Covid-19 that the club will be staging a full production. Kirsten Weirich, the Second Stage season production manager, stated that the 24-person cast will go off-book for the entire performance, meaning that the performers will memorize and recite each line rather than reading from a script. In previous years, the club only staged live readings of Shakespeare’s plays , which makes their upcoming performance even more unique.
The Department of Theatre and the Shakespeare Club have also collaborated with the Department of Music to present a full ensemble. Rowan Chandler arranged a six-piece pit band to perform the music he wrote specifically for the show.
The club also had help from many talented individuals. Abigail Warner designed the cast’s costumes. Ryan Horst completed the set design for the show, and Owen Carey and Joshua Dalton managed the props and lighting for the show.
Ella Baker and Gracie White, the co-directors working on the show, stressed their unwavering appreciation for all the students involved in the production. Everyone has made an immense contribution to the production, and they cannot wait to see it come to life.
Baker, White, and Weirich explained that the performance experiments with different notions of gender interpretation, which has been heavily debated amongst the Shakespeare community. Weirich stated that Ryan Horst will play Hippolyta, who is typically a female-specific character, while Lorraine Durbin will play King Oberon, a male-specific character.
Baker and White illustrated the contentions surrounding various interpretations of Shakespeare’s work. White stated, “There’s a lot of fear with Shakespeare about changing interpretations. There’s really this huge fear about changing things, but I really think that as a society we have evolved past man and woman.” She continued by saying that, regardless of who plays the characters, what matters is the character conflict and the moral themes of the play.
Weirich also emphasized a similar sentiment: “I implore audience members to see beyond the gender of the performers and the characters and pay close attention to the ideas of the characters and how the characters communicate those ideas. We have a very talented group of performers on our campus. Their talents deserve to be recognized. Gender should not distract from talent, nor should it dictate it.”
On another topic, Weirich stated that she hopes the Shakespeare club’s performance will foster conversations about the relevancy of Shakespeare in the twenty-first century, especially as new interpretations attempt to incorporate more diversity: “The concern with Shakespeare is that it isn’t relevant anymore to our modern world since it was written over 400 years ago by a white, cisgender man. People often wonder if his plays should even be kept around anymore. Perhaps the Shakespeare club’s take on “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” can help to respond to those concerns in some way.”
Baker and White also stated that this particular play is more accessible than some of Shakespeare’s other plays. The play’s accessibility partially influenced their decision to perform it.
Baker said, “Shakespeare’s scary because there’s some sort of high-art stigma around it, but it’s really silly. And I think the more you read, the more you realize that, but I’d like to make clear to everyone else who isn’t in the club that it is way more casual than we make it out to be. The big thing with this upcoming production is this is our chance to make it [Shakespeare] understandable.”
White further clarified “I think Midsummer is a great way to introduce people to Shakespeare because it has so many fun characters and it is so accessible.”
By introducing an accessible, humorous play, they hope audience members will enjoy the humor and moral themes presented even if they are not familiar with Shakespeare’s work. In this sense, the Shakespeare club also strives to diminish some of the intimidation surrounding Shakespeare’s work.
The club also fosters accessibility and inclusivity within their weekly meetings. Baker described the Shakespeare club’s collaborative efforts during their weekly meetings. According to Baker, the club members read and perform a play a week. Even though Baker and White mainly help to direct the rehearsals, each member contributes to the reading by incorporating their perceptions of the character’s reactions and intonations.
Weirich also expressed a similar sentiment, stating that the Shakespeare club fosters a welcoming atmosphere.
She stated, “They [the club] create a playing space for both aspiring performers and more veteran performers. They enjoy taking plays that are over 400 years old and interpreting them in a way that resonates with our student body. I, personally, have never been one to really connect with Shakespeare; but in watching some of their performances, I’ve found myself being able to better understand what Shakespeare meant.”
Overall, Baker, White, and Weirich hope students, faculty, and other guests, regardless of their familiarity with Shakespeare, will join them to indulge in Shakespeare’s witty character dialogue and magical world-building. Come out to support your peers in a unique and transformative performance of classic literature!
