Directing A Midsummer Night's Dream

             A "Midsummer Night's Dream" was written by William Shakespeare between 1589 and 1595. It is one of Shakespeare's better-known plays and has been performed in many theatres over the years in many different styles. To me, the story of the lovers is incredibly versatile and can be interpreted in so many ways that I doubt any two performances of the tale have been the same. The story, as I see it, is almost set in two different worlds: The everyday human world, and the magical, dream-like world, inhabited by the fairies. The real problems only seem to occur when the two worlds collide. I think the idea of these two different universes is what makes this play so different and fun to perform because there is a reason behind everything each character does. You can just blame it on the mischievous fairies. So in my opinion, you can be as wild and spontaneous as you wanted to be when performing this play. Anything can happen.
             As a director, I would set my play in the Georgian era, the time of all the Jane Austen novels. This era is seen as a time associated with love and romance. I wouldn't change the basic setting of the play, it would all still take place in the woods or the palace. I would have my show performed in a proscenium theatre, and the stage would have two levels. The top tier would be the fairy world, and the stage below, the human world. The audience would be able to see both sets at once and would understand that the two sets obviously represent two different places. So the audience doesn't get confused, only one set would have action taking place at one time. For example, when the Lovers are in the wood, The fairy world, or the upper set, would be in freeze-frame, or black out, and vice versa, for when Oberon and Titania are arguing. The only thing linking the worlds, would be a tree, of a pillar with a ladder on it, so the actors can climb between the levels when their worlds collide. In the human world, ...

More Essays:

APA     MLA     Chicago
Directing A Midsummer Night's Dream. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 11:06, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/82755.html