Theatre Department to Perform ‘A Midsummer’s Night Dream’
September 20, 2018
The theatre department has started the rehearsal process for their fall production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream.
The first rehearsal took place on Sept. 17, and the energy from the cast speaks to their excitement.
Senior Shane Watson, who plays Lysander, is looking forward to getting back into the routine of a theatre production.
“I love the people I get to perform with; I love the shows I get to perform in. It’s just kind of a thrill for me to go to rehearsal every single night,” said Watson.
Even though most students dread reading William Shakespeare’s works in class, junior Hannah Adler, playing the role of Nick Bottom, is looking forward to presenting the play to the student body outside of English class.
“I’m excited to put on one of his works because when you read it in school and you read it on paper, it’s very different from seeing it in real life, and you can do Shakespeare in many different ways. So I think that’s why I’m excited about it, and I think people are going to be excited to watch it, not read it,” said Adler.
Juniors Hannah Adler and Sophia Wetzel look over their lines. Photo by Anna Feild.
Because Shakespeare’s works are open to interpretation, director Will Jenkins hopes to set the play in a way that is easier for the audience to understand and educate the actors on ways to alleviate any confusion the audience may have.
Director Will Jenkins and stage manager Kelsey Custer give instructions to the cast. Photo by Anna Feild.
“A lot of that just comes from teaching the actors ways in which we can sort of just use our body language to sort of say without words what Shakespeare was trying to get at,” said Jenkins. “Another thing is translating the old set of being set in Athens to something more modern that maybe we understand a little bit better, so we’re transforming it into Victorian England times to try and get an idea of almost like the comedy of manners that it is. Like you know, everyone’s very mannered, and when they go into the woods, things start to go a little crazy.”
Adler gives hinted at comedic moments to come.
“The audience can look forward to many laughs because there’s going to be lots of funny things, and to pay attention because there are different storylines and they kind of get confusing, but it all comes together and it all makes sense,” said Adler.
The shows of A Midsummer’s Night Dream will take place on Nov. 16, Nov. 17, and Nov. 18.
Adult tickets are $10, senior and student tickets are $8, and child tickets are $6; more information can be found at susquehannocktheatre.com.
