A&E
This weekend: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
By Bridget Lavin ’18
September 3, 2015
While many college students choose to spend their summers relaxing, a dedicated group of theatre students spent their time away from the Hill studying Shakespeare. However, their upcoming production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been in the works for far longer. Allison Schuette ‘16 has wished to revive the tradition of “Shakespeare in the Glen” since the opening of the Kennedy Center for Theatre and the Studio Arts last fall. Although the prospect of strengthening student theatre and mounting a production of Shakespeare excited her, she was most eager to transport the show to the new outdoor amphitheater.
Schuette and co-director, Caitlin McQuade ’18 are enthusiastic about taking advantage of the new, refreshing performance space outside the Kennedy Center. They believe it is the perfect setting, as it provides ample seating for large audiences and great acoustics. Additionally, the nearby pond creates the perfect setting for the play.
It’s especially ideal because the show takes place largely in a forest. Schuette believes A Midsummer Night’s Dream was the obvious choice when picking which play to perform. “We wanted a comedy,” she tells us, “And we wanted a play that most people would be familiar with.” She also loves that Midsummer can be interpreted as campy, but is still incredibly entertaining and fun for actors and viewers alike.
The directors took that idea and ran with it, setting the play in 1960s New York City. As the play begins, Theseus, the governor of New York, is about to marry his political rival, a preppy Demetrius who has just scorned his previous hippie love, Helena, and fairies are frolicking and making mischief in the woods of Central Park.
The director’s biggest hope for the show is simply to entertain the audiences. This is especially critical because they’ll be performing Shakespeare, which is not often seen at Hamilton.
“I think Shakespeare has this stereotype that it’s high brow, and it’s not,” Schuette tells us. She believes that anyone can understand Shakespeare and anyone can have fun with it. McQuade adds, “What better entertainment is there for a liberal arts college than a hilarious night of Shakespeare?”
When asked what they enjoyed the most about the production, McQuade claims that it was the enthusiastic cast. “The entire process was incredibly collaborative. We’ve got a great group of people who really keep each other on their toes.” Schuette agrees. She has loved working with the cast, but also her many Skype sessions with McQuade throughout the summer, during which they would spend hours discussing their vision and joking around together.
Come see A Midsummer Night’s Dream performed in the Kennedy Center Amphitheater this Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 5 and 6, at 6:45 pm.The cast includes Vineeth Rao ’16, Kelsey Crane ’17, Bridget Lavin ’18, Isla Ng ’16, Ashley Jamison ’16, Allison Schuette ’18, Charlie Wilson ’16, Meghan Gehan ’18, Sarah Hoover ’18, Ryan Cassidy ’17, Collin Purcell ’17, Michael Gagnon ’16 and Caitlin McQuade ’18. The crew includes MJ Lugo ’16, Eliza Burwell ’17 and Jessica Zhu ’17. Frankie Outlaw ’18 is the stage manage (even in the absence of a traditional stage!).