“The course of true love never did run smooth…”
….. a quote that, I think, best captures the chaos, mischief and comedy brought to the stage by the students at Elliott Hudson College.
After only eight weeks of rehearsals, staff and students finally had the opportunity to share the result of their dedication and hard work in their version of Shakespeare’s classic, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The play centres around the interference of King Oberon and his loyal fairy Puck in the lives of Hermia, Lysander, Helena, and Demetrius. Chaos ensues as a case of mistaken identity causes both men to fall head over heels with Helena, and the fairy queen madly in love with an ass!
The imaginative set design served purpose both as Athens and the magical forest. On entering, the audience was immediately transported to the world of fairy kings, queens and dukes and we didn’t leave until the lights came up.
Props and staging, though not in excess, were resourceful and artistic and the costumes were well-curated, unique to each character. In collaboration with lighting and sound, this elevated the performance which was nothing short of a professional production.
The casting of each role was perfect, with each student seeming suited to their character and performing their roles with pride. Titania (Flora Purdy), the fairy queen, was mystical and hilariously dramatic, whilst King Oberon (Zalan Pupcsak) was powerful and commanding. The impish fairy, Puck (Fern Randall), was animated in her mischievous character and carried us through the show with wit and charisma.
Other members of the fairy kingdom fully embodied the otherworldly and the Mechanicals were lovable.
Bottom (Caitlin Gillard) was endearing and dare I say made a very good ass impression!
Demetrius and Lysander (Ava Braddock and Rebecca Gould) both performed with strength and were convincing in their infatuations with Helena (Anna McArdle), who quickly became exasperated with them, fearing that their excessive declarations of love were in jest and leaving poor Hermia (Megan Leyland) confused and distraught.
The entire cast was committed in their portrayal of their characters and did so with energy. A comedy is what we came for and a comedy is what we got, a highlight being the Mechanicals play in the final act, which provided hilarity after the pandemonium and received laughs from the whole audience.
We have all had to study Shakespeare at school and for some of us it probably wasn’t our favourite. Shakespearean language can, at times, be difficult to follow. However, in this production it was merged with modernisms, which certainly added to the comedy.
It was enjoyable to see Shakespeare’s work adapted and transformed to suit a modern audience and encouraging to see so many young people enthusiastic and proud of their achievements on (and off) the stage.
This performance was the result of a huge collaborative effort of the students and staff. Students not only acted but also contributed through directing, stage management, lighting, sound and front of house.
It was a fantastic display of teamwork and community and testament to Elliott Hudson College’s Drama and Theatre Studies course. From the moment the performance began, there was a clear sense of professionalism which left the audience with only one role – to sit back, relax and enjoy the show. So we did.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Director & Subject Lead of Drama, Maria Forryan.
Photographs provided by Elliott Hudson College.
Main image: Caitlin Gillard (Bottom) with Flora Purdy (Titania).
