Lord, what fools these mortals be! – Puck, Act 3, Scene 2
Shakespeare’s classic comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is reawakened in this breathless production brimming with magic, mirth and mayhem.
Love is in the air in Athens – and it’s contagious. Besides the royal wedding, which is just days away, there are young lovers dreaming of enchanted futures together. Hermia and Lysander are besotted with one another, while Helena adores Demetrius. The only snag is that Demetrius loves Hermia – and he’s got Hermia’s father on his side. So nobody is happy. (Shakespeare wasn’t kidding when he said the course of true love never did run smooth.)
Determined to be together, Hermia and Lysander meet in a moonlit forest with plans to elope. Following hot on their heels is Demetrius, who in turn is pursued by a lovelorn Helena. But the young lovers are not alone in the forest. Nick Bottom and his hapless bunch of tradies have gathered to rehearse a play to be performed at the royal wedding. And, hidden from human eyes, a mischievous sprinkling of faeries are also in the forest that night. The three worlds collide in an explosion of comic confusion that throws the future of all the lovers into jeopardy.
This production is quick as a shadow. Fast, funny and family-friendly, this is A Midsummer Night’s Dream reimagined.
CAST
Puck Ella Prince
Hermia/Snug Ahunim Abebe
Helena/Starveling Isabel Burton
Demetrius/Snout Mike Howlett
Bottom/Egeus Matu Ngaropo
Oberon/Theseus/Flute Richard Pyros
Titania/Hippolyta/Quince Imogen Sage
Lysander/Mechanical Laurence Young
UNDERSTUDIES
Helena, Hermia, Puck and Titania Meredith Cohn
Oberon, Lysander, Demetrius and Bottom Tom Matthews
CREATIVES
Director Peter Evans
Associate Director Julia Billington
Set and Costume Designer Teresa Negroponte
Lighting Designer Benjamin Cisterne
Composer and Sound Designer Max Lyandvert
Fight, Movement and Intimacy Director Nigel Poulton
Voice Director Jack Starkey-Gill
Dramaturg James Evans
CREW
Production Manager Slade Blanch
Touring Company Manager Shannon Steele
Deputy Stage Manager Maree Delvecchio
Assistant Stage Manager Finlay Pedler
Head Electrician Christopher Payne
Head Mechanist Hayley Stafford
Head of Audio Todd Hawken
Head of Costume Sara Kolijn
Costume Cutter/Maker Sally-Anne Mason
Bell Shakespeare has mastered the art of presenting Shakespeare in a manner that is accessible to the modern-day audience, while still endearing those who love the tradition. – Australian Stage
Bell Shakespeare – arguably the best Shakespearean theatre company. – Herald Sun
Bell Shakespeare is assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body, and by the NSW Government through Create NSW.
