A Midsummer Night's Dream

A wildly original take on Shakespeare’s magical romantic comedy.

By William Shakespeare (watch this biography online)

Directed and Adapted by Benjamin Schostakowski
Designer Dann Barber
Lighting Designer Jason Glenwright
Sound Designer Wil Hughes
with Emily Burton, Brian Lipson, Kathryn Marquet, Christen O’Leary, Pacharo Mzembe & Kieran Law

Four awkward teens find themselves entangled in a god-awful love quadrangle. A sextet of amateur drama enthusiasts earnestly rehearse a play for a wedding. The Godfather and Godmother of the fairies are locked in a bitter argument over an adopted child, which they seek to resolve through the careless application of dodgy witchcraft.
Benjamin Schostakowski, director of multi award-winning A Tribute of Sorts, transplants Shakespeare’s enchanted lovers, fools and fairies from the wilderness of Athens to a nostalgia-tinged vision of Australian suburbia. Think lava lamps, slide nights and macramé wall-hangings. A Midsummer Night’s Dream promises to deliver a sensuous cocktail of hyper-theatricality; equal parts strange, dark and hilarious.
“Shows like this make your heart sing, as they take off into new and always expanding realms, exploring what theatre can do by building on old traditions.” Crikey on A Tribute of Sorts

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Traditional characters:

• Theseus, Duke of Athens
• Egeus, father of Hermia
• Lysander, in love with Hermia
• Demetrius, in love with Hermia
• Philosrate, Master of the Revels
• Quince, a carpenter
• Snug, a joiner
• Bottom, a weaver
• Flute, a bellows-mender
• Snout, a tinker
• Starveling, a tailor
• Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons; betrothed of Theseus
• Hermia, in love with Lysander
• Helena, in love with Demetrius
• Oberon, King of Fairies
• Titania, Queen of Fairies
• Puck, or Robin Goodfellow
• Peaseblossom, a fairy
• Cobway, a fairy
• Moth, a fairy
• Mustardseed, a fairy
• Other Fairies, attendants to Oberon and Titania
• Attendants to Theseus and Hippolyta

Traditional play - links below:

Here is the entire play

Plot Summary

Scene by scene

This may help you to understand the play:

                                       Short Synopsis

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” William Shakespeare's most popular comedy, was written around 1594 or 95. It portrays the adventures of four young lovers and a group of amateur actors, their interactions with woodland fairies and a duke and duchess. Taking place in a mythical Athens and an enchanted forest, there is a handsome fairy king, a misguided parent, star-crossed lovers, a weaver who's transformed into a half-donkey, wood sprites and elves. This work is widely performed around the world, and no wonder - it's about the world's most popular pastime, falling in love. But as Puck knows, falling in love can make fools of us all.

                                    

                                     Medium Synopsis

"A Midsummer Night's Dream" deals with the universal theme of love and its complications: lust, disappointment, confusion, marriage. The plot focuses on three parallel stories: the trials and experiences of two sets of lovers camping in a magical forest, the world of the Fairy King and Queen and their elves, and a group of rough craftsmen attempting to stage a production of "Pyramus and Thisby" for the wedding of the Duke of Athens.
Hermia is in love with Lysander, but her father wants her to marry Demetrius. To escape the arranged marriage, she and Lysander elope into the woods. Demetrius follows them, and he is pursued by Helena, who nurses an unrequited passion for him. A love quadrangle develops among the young lovers when mischievous Puck plays Cupid. "The course of true love never did run smooth" says Lysander. Meanwhile, a group of amateur actors rehearses a badly-written play in the woods, and soon all find their lives changed by the doings of Oberon and Titania, the warring king and queen of the fairies. Magic, action, love and humor are the ingredients for this unforgettable spell.
This work is widely performed around the world, and no wonder - it's about the world's most popular pastime, falling in love. But as Puck knows, falling in love can make fools of us all. Love is crazy, love is mad. Will love win out in the end?

Try this video link or this one

Animated tale

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