PERFORMANCE: A Midsummer Night's Dream

The Graduate Dramatic Society (GRADS) and the University Dramatic Society (UDS) will present William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the UWA New Fortune Theatre in March.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most enchanting comedies, mixing romance, magic and high good humour in perfect harmony. With the power and poetry of Oberon and Titania, the charm and high spirits of Puck, the comical tensions of the young lovers and the farce of the mechanicals’ rehearsals for their terrible play-within-a-play, it promises an evening of variety and great entertainment.

The plot is not at all simple. Boy loves girl, girl loves boy, girl’s father wants her to marry second boy, girl and boy elope, chased by second boy and second girl (who loves second boy…). In the forest they run into a bunch of Fairies who are also involved in marital issues. Magic love-spells follow, ending with both boys now loving second girl. At the same time a bunch of ‘local yokels’ are rehearsing a play. The Fairies turn one of them into a part-donkey, and enchant the Fairy Queen to fall in love with him! Confused? You will be! A wonderfully complex, brilliantly funny masterpiece.

Director Stephen Lee says ‘One problem with “The Dream” is that over the years it has been romanticized and “prettified”. In our production at the New Fortune (the Southern Hemisphere’s only true replica Elizabethan theatre) I hope to get back to Shakespeare’s original conception, and aim to give the play the feel of an original Bankside performance, with emphasis more on the words and characters than special effects.

Since arriving in Perth in 2002 Stephen Lee has directed Taming of the Shrew, Othello and As You Like it, and performed exceptionally fine lead roles in The Tempest and A Winter’s Tale. He is co-founder of the Attic Theatre Company and holds training classes in Shakespearean performance. As was demonstrated in his production of What the Butler Saw in 2005, Lee has a knack for being able to exploit every nuance from a script. His direction is direct, bold, energetic and modern enough to appeal to today’s audience whilst remaining faithful to the original text. But be warned - the Elizabethans would make today’s society seem prudish by comparison, and with his high energy young cast Lee promises a Midsummer Night’s Dream to remember - and an entertainment that will hold wide appeal for audiences of all ages. Performance Dates: 15,16,17,18,22,23,24,and 25 March Box Office opens 7.30pm. Curtain up 8pm. Tickets:Adult $20, Concession $16, Member $12. Group bookings available. Bookings. Ph: 9450 8596 or visit GRADS website:www.grads.org.au