There’s a specific magic a play written centuries ago and presented all over the world through the ages can manifest in a theatre community. Deciding when and where to align or divert from the play’s original vision is part of what makes mounting a Shakespeare great such an exhilarating experience.
And Associate Professor and Director Robert Scott Smith has manifested just that with the Department of Theatre’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream — an exhilarating experience through collaboration, creativity, and innovation.
In the plot, which Smith describes as “meta” as the play creates a play within itself, four lovers, trapped by societal bonds, flee to a moonlit forest seeking freedom. There, amidst a troupe of hopeful actors, they stumble into a magical realm ruled by feuding fairies. As Puck's mischievous magic weaves a spellbinding tapestry of chaos and confusion, the lines between dream and reality blur, leaving hearts entwined in a whirlwind of enchantment.
“There’s a special type of freedom that comes with working on such a classic play, and that’s finding unique ways to tell the story and bring it life in ways that haven’t been experienced,” said actor Luke Wimmer, who plays Moth. “Our show is nontraditionally casted, and to see these characters shine in a new light makes it so compelling. There was this constant environment of collaboration, just bouncing ideas off each other and discovering new layers. Getting to work with this cast has been so endearing to me. We've spent quite a bit of time on this now, and we've watched it evolve into something remarkable.”
A Midsummer Night’s Dream opens October 25, 2024, in Studio 115 (in the Performing Arts Building) and runs through November 3, 2024. University of Utah students can get free tickets with their UCard through the Arts Pass program.
The making of theatre is a living, breathing process of its own. Creating something both new and old that reflects our humanity’s reliance on comedy through strife has been foundational for actor Adri Cumming who plays Francis Flute/Thisbe.
“My favorite part of the A Midsummer Night's Dream process was witnessing the show change and grow through the collaboration of the directors, cast, and crew,” Cumming said. “Due to the nature of the show, tours, and an extended rehearsal process, we have seen it adapt to different spaces and circumstances, and it has been exciting to observe the flexibility everyone has displayed in their creative processes. I have also loved becoming close with a cast and crew made up of vibrantly talented and welcoming individuals. I am grateful to have formed new friendships and to have worked alongside people I respect so deeply.”
Witness the magic for yourself starting this coming weekend. The 95-minute production will be performed without an intermission.
VENUE
Studio 115 240 South 1500 East in the Performing Arts Building, located west of the U Bookstore.
PERFORMANCE DATES & TIMES
Fri, 10/25 @ 7:30 pm
Sat, 10/26 @ 2 pm
Sat, 10/26 @ 7:30 pm
Sun, 10/27 @ 2 pm
Thurs, 10/31 @ 7:30 pm
Fri, 11/1 @ 7:30 pm
Sat, 11/2 @ 2 pm
Sat, 11/2 @ 7:30 pm
Sun, 11/3 @ 2 pm
ASL interpreted performance and audience talkback November 1.
Content Advisory:
Loud voices and shouting, loud noises.
Language of violence, sexual references and innuendo, and misogyny.
We have made intentional edits to remove the racist language from the original script.
Discussion and depiction of suicide happen during the rehearsing and performing a play-within-a-play, “The Most Lamentable Comedy and Most Cruel Death of Pyramus and Thisbe”. In this story romantic love leads to a double suicide. It is performed by the actors using a foam sword to depict the act and stylized in a purposeful way intended to provoke mirth in the onstage audience.