Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: A Midsummer Night's Dream

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theatreron
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Joined: 3/09/07
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Topic: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Posted: 7/26/07 at 12:13am

My theatre that I am in is planning on doing A Midsummer Night's Dream this winter. I was wondering if anyone had some suggestions for me to use in the show, or just some helpful hints and tips to producing Shakespeare. Set, Costume, Props, Make-up: the whole nine yards...Give me your suggestions and hints and your two cents!

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Gaafa
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Posted: 7/26/07 at 11:53am

My zaks [6 pence] worth is only about 2 foot 11 inches ;-

I have never had a lot to do with MSND, as I have yet to actualy seen a production through completely. Which might be by design, rather than good management.

The bits & pieces I have seen a number of times, except for one, have always gone down the same track. Delivered by prats prancing on the green sward thru a wood land setting & with gawd awful pohmy accents, delivered in a Kensington Gore style, with plumbs in thier gobs. The production nearly always pop their meager weasel completely with lavish costumes, set in a mise en scene of fairy land lustre.

Where by the best one I also never got to see entirely, which grabbed my interest completely. Had a plain one colour box set, with a couple of door openings. They also utalised the use of trapeeze, ladders & the odd trap door. Spoken with natural accents & dressed in ordinary day to day clothing - it was brilliant & a pity I missed the rest of it! So my opinion is keep it simple in projecting it over the 'floats'!

Joe
Western Gondawandaland
turn right @ Perth.
Hear the light & see the sound.
Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"}
May you always play
to a full house}

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Lazy Bee
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Joined: 2/21/07
Location: United Kingdom
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Posted: 7/27/07 at 10:35am

In A Midsummer Night's Dream, you have three groups: the Athenian Nobility, the Mechanicals and the Immortals. You need to decide how you are going to diffentiate each of those groups. The Immortals are particularly difficult - there is a tendency to get stuck in 1900 representations of fairies, but these are wild and dangerous creatures!

The youth section of my local group have done this twice. The first version had Oberon and Puck somewhere between punk and The Matrix. The second version (done in the round) was set in a circus ring, with the Athenians as the circus nobility - management and bareback riders - the Immortals as the high wire acts, and the Mechanicals as clowns.

I do not suggest that either of the above is a definitive way of staging, just that there is a lot of flexibility.

Stuart
Lazy Bee Scripts
http://www.lazybeescripts.co.uk read complete play scripts on-line

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tristanrobin
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Posted: 7/30/07 at 6:56am

My production was set in contemporary/near future urban setting. The Royals were all business peoplel; the faeries were all magickal street people; the Rude Mechanicals were sort of a nerdy chess club putting on a skit.

It offered lots of opportunities for my tech people - and the staging choices were myriad for me!

Everybody seemed to enjoy it...though LOL everybody seems to love MSND no matter HOW it's staged LOL.

Good luck - it's such a charming and delightful play!

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theatreron
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Posted: 8/03/07 at 10:07pm

Thank you very much. Now keep the replies coming. We don't do it till this winter, but I would like your input.

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Play Suggestions
Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Producing Theater :Play Suggestions

Author	Message
theatreron Walk-On Joined: 3/09/07 Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Topic: A Midsummer Night's Dream Posted: 7/26/07 at 12:13am
	My theatre that I am in is planning on doing A Midsummer Night's Dream this winter. I was wondering if anyone had some suggestions for me to use in the show, or just some helpful hints and tips to producing Shakespeare. Set, Costume, Props, Make-up: the whole nine yards...Give me your suggestions and hints and your two cents!

	IP Logged

Gaafa Celebrity Joined: 3/21/04 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 1181	Posted: 7/26/07 at 11:53am
	My zaks [6 pence] worth is only about 2 foot 11 inches ;- I have never had a lot to do with MSND, as I have yet to actualy seen a production through completely. Which might be by design, rather than good management. The bits & pieces I have seen a number of times, except for one, have always gone down the same track. Delivered by prats prancing on the green sward thru a wood land setting & with gawd awful pohmy accents, delivered in a Kensington Gore style, with plumbs in thier gobs. The production nearly always pop their meager weasel completely with lavish costumes, set in a mise en scene of fairy land lustre. Where by the best one I also never got to see entirely, which grabbed my interest completely. Had a plain one colour box set, with a couple of door openings. They also utalised the use of trapeeze, ladders & the odd trap door. Spoken with natural accents & dressed in ordinary day to day clothing - it was brilliant & a pity I missed the rest of it! So my opinion is keep it simple in projecting it over the 'floats'!
	Joe Western Gondawandaland turn right @ Perth. Hear the light & see the sound. Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"} May you always play to a full house}
	IP Logged

Lazy Bee Star Joined: 2/21/07 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 89	Posted: 7/27/07 at 10:35am
	In A Midsummer Night's Dream, you have three groups: the Athenian Nobility, the Mechanicals and the Immortals. You need to decide how you are going to diffentiate each of those groups. The Immortals are particularly difficult - there is a tendency to get stuck in 1900 representations of fairies, but these are wild and dangerous creatures! The youth section of my local group have done this twice. The first version had Oberon and Puck somewhere between punk and The Matrix. The second version (done in the round) was set in a circus ring, with the Athenians as the circus nobility - management and bareback riders - the Immortals as the high wire acts, and the Mechanicals as clowns. I do not suggest that either of the above is a definitive way of staging, just that there is a lot of flexibility.
	Stuart Lazy Bee Scripts http://www.lazybeescripts.co.uk read complete play scripts on-line
	IP Logged

tristanrobin Celebrity Joined: 4/25/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 704	Posted: 7/30/07 at 6:56am
	My production was set in contemporary/near future urban setting. The Royals were all business peoplel; the faeries were all magickal street people; the Rude Mechanicals were sort of a nerdy chess club putting on a skit. It offered lots of opportunities for my tech people - and the staging choices were myriad for me! Everybody seemed to enjoy it...though LOL everybody seems to love MSND no matter HOW it's staged LOL. Good luck - it's such a charming and delightful play!
	IP Logged

theatreron Walk-On Joined: 3/09/07 Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Posted: 8/03/07 at 10:07pm
	Thank you very much. Now keep the replies coming. We don't do it till this winter, but I would like your input.
	IP Logged

Topic: A Midsummer Night's Dream( Topic Closed)