A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1997)

This production toured in 1997,1998, 2001, 2005 and 2009.

Based on the play by William Shakespeare

Music: Felix Mendelssohn, Georg Philipp Telemann

Choreography: Darius James

Costume Design and execution: Yvonne Greenleaf

The Story

Celebrations are planned to mark the marriage of Theseus, Duke of Athens, and Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. Egeus comes before Theseus with his rebellious daughter Hermia, who is in love with Lysander although her father insists that she should marry Demetrius. The Duke orders Hermia to obey her father or, according to Athenian law, she must face death or enter a convent.

Instead, Hermia and Lysander decide to elope that night. They confide their plan to their friend Helena and she, in love with Demetrius and hoping to win his affection, tells him of the plan. All four lovers steal into the forest that night.

Bottom the weaver and a group of Athenian tradesmen are planning to perform a play, ‘The Tragedy of Pyramus and Thisbe’, in celebration of the Duke’s wedding. They decide to rehearse in the same forest.

Oberon and Titania, fairy rulers of the forest, have quarrelled over Titania’s refusal to give up her boy page to Oberon. He orders Puck to seek out a magic plant whose juice, squeezed on the eyes of someone asleep, will cause them to fall in love with the first creature they see upon waking.

Oberon uses the juice on Titania, and she falls rapturously in love with Bottom, who has been bewitched by Puck. He also tells Puck to use the juice on Demetrius, so that he might fall in love with Helena but Puck, mistaking the two Athenian youths, uses it on Lysander instead, who promptly falls in love with Helena…

Eventually, however, all the enchantments are lifted, the human lovers are happily paired and Titania and Oberon reconciled. The three couples are married, and Bottom’s troupe perform their play at the nuptial celebrations.

The Queen of the Fairies Titania, and Puck the mischievous messenger, inhabit the supernatural fairy kingdom. Bottom and his boot wearing “Rude Mechanicals” present their famous play Pyramus and Thisbe. And finnally the lovers, caught in a thrilling web of mistaken identity and confusion finally find their way through the Athenian forest to an unforgettable and joyous reconciliation.

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