Note from the Director:
I often think about how A Midsummer Night’s Dream might have looked on the Elizabethan stage. What becomes clear after some research is that we have to banish the idea of things like gauzily attired ballerina fairies dancing through a moonlit forest. The original companies didn’t have movable scenery, lighting effects, fog machines, authentic period costumes, or a large corps of dancers to represent a fairy-haunted wood or an Athenian court. Instead, they relied on symbolic costumes and properties, richly descriptive language, and most importantly, playgoers’ willingness to use their imaginations.
The original performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream probably took place at The Theatre, one of the large open-air venues that Shakespeare’s company used prior to the building of the Globe in 1596.The experience of attending a play at the Theatre or the Globe was markedly different than the typical visit to the theater today, of course. We have endless technical advantages over the Elizabethan troupes, technology being what it is. But what’s worth noting is that since those open-air theaters had none of these features, playgoers and actors were completely aware of each other’s presence. The large capacity of the playhouses, which could accommodate approximately 2,500 people seated in the galleries encircling the stage or standing in the yard at its front and sides, meant that playgoers were a visible, and probably frequently noisy, presence. This creates a unique dynamic between the performer and the audience.
Fortunately, we have the intimacy of Agecroft’s charming courtyard to perform in, but the idea is the same. Historically touring companies would have performed at manors like this on a raised stage pushed up against the glass windows facing the lawn. Here we have assembled to ‘rehearse most obscenely and courageously’, employing Shakespeare’s original practices with a touch of modern technology. But what’s really special about this venue is the connection we feel with the past by recreating that sense of community where we gather where we can all see each other in the light of day (at first) to hear Shakespeare’s language and experience everything that’s unique to outdoor theatre.
It's also just a damn funny play.
We’re glad you’re here.
James Ricks
Director
