Magical world portrayed in Shakespeare show
By Joanne Fox Journal staff writer | Posted: Friday, March 28, 2008
Dylan Jost, Tom Crouse, Allen Jones, Julie Anderson, Aaron Kuchta and Ivory Stahly rehearse a scene from "A Midsummer Night's Dream," the next production of the University of South Dakota Drama Department. (Submitted photo
Four centuries after it was written, a play that intertwines the world of magic with the world of reality still remains popular.
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare written sometime in the 1590s. It is the next presentation of the University of South Dakota Theatre Department.
The action is narrated by the mischievous Puck (Mary Fitzgibbons) who tells a tale of a wooded wonderland where sprites play magical games with four lovers. The action places the text historically during the twelfth century B.C., at the time of the Mycenaean rule of Greece.
Hermia (Lindsey Straw) vows to escape her father's mandate of marriage to Demetrius (Adam Hansen) and runs away with her lover, Lysander (Randy Niles) ; but not before she tells her friend Helena (Avalon Kann). Comical adventures of the heart ensue when the two couples find themselves in the middle of a fairy feud between Oberon (Kevin Kelly) and Titania (Mandi Jung). A band of foolish craftsmen, Nick Bottom (Tom Crouse), Peter Quince (Ivory Stahly) and Francis Flute (Allen Jones), is included in the spritely magic of the plot.
The play is one of Shakespeare's most popular works and recently found a new audience in a 1999 movie starring Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Calista Flockhart and Stanley Tucci. The stage version is widely performed across the world, said Ronald Moyer, director of the USD production.
"This delightful play treats the fickleness of love with comedy -- from slapstick to verbal wit -- and develops it with a wide variety of characters, from young lovers and simple people to supernaturals," he said.
The appeal of the show is that there seems to be something for everybody in the twists of the plotting, the knockabout humor, and the beautiful language, Moyer said.
"Shakespeare has heightened our enjoyment and excused our bad behavior," he pointed out, "by using fairy magic to cause the fickle complications and to lead everything to turn out fine."
The play does include many "magic" moments, but carries a message for the audience, Moyer noted.
:With all the varieties of love and infatuation and betrayal," he said. "the play ultimately encourages us to follow our hearts to find our true love."
At its heart, it brings out the optimist in most of us, Moyer felt.
"I'm a bit of a romantic and find the presentation of the love theme with such great humor and wonderful language to be exciting," he admitted.
The show also provides for a large number of "wonderful roles for our talented undergraduate actors," Moyer added. "It;s a terrific cast that I have the opportunity to work with."
Ultimately the audience will leave the theater after having a good time watching the play and performers, Moyer said.
"Beyond that, the reminders of romance, love, infatuation, betrayal, reconciliation, and a myriad of other experiences from our own lives will vary from person to person," he mused. "As individuals we can simply revel in the piece as an enjoyable comedy or use it to remind us of cherished memories."
The University of South Dakota Department of Theatre will present "A Midsummer Night's Dream," April 2 - 5 at 7:30 p.m. and April 6 at 2 p.m. in the Arena Theatre in the Warren M. Lee Center for Fine Arts, Vermillion. Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for senior citizens, youth (12 and under) and non-university students, and $4 for university students with valid ID. Tickets are available at the box office from noon to 5 p.m. weekdays and noon to curtain on days of performance. As seating is limited, reservations are recommended and can be made by calling the box office at (605) 677-5400 or online at www.usd.edu/cfa/Theatre.
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare written sometime in the 1590s. It is the next presentation of the University of South Dakota Theatre Department.
The action is narrated by the mischievous Puck (Mary Fitzgibbons) who tells a tale of a wooded wonderland where sprites play magical games with four lovers. The action places the text historically during the twelfth century B.C., at the time of the Mycenaean rule of Greece.
Hermia (Lindsey Straw) vows to escape her father's mandate of marriage to Demetrius (Adam Hansen) and runs away with her lover, Lysander (Randy Niles) ; but not before she tells her friend Helena (Avalon Kann). Comical adventures of the heart ensue when the two couples find themselves in the middle of a fairy feud between Oberon (Kevin Kelly) and Titania (Mandi Jung). A band of foolish craftsmen, Nick Bottom (Tom Crouse), Peter Quince (Ivory Stahly) and Francis Flute (Allen Jones), is included in the spritely magic of the plot.
The play is one of Shakespeare's most popular works and recently found a new audience in a 1999 movie starring Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Calista Flockhart and Stanley Tucci. The stage version is widely performed across the world, said Ronald Moyer, director of the USD production.
"This delightful play treats the fickleness of love with comedy -- from slapstick to verbal wit -- and develops it with a wide variety of characters, from young lovers and simple people to supernaturals," he said.
The appeal of the show is that there seems to be something for everybody in the twists of the plotting, the knockabout humor, and the beautiful language, Moyer said.
"Shakespeare has heightened our enjoyment and excused our bad behavior," he pointed out, "by using fairy magic to cause the fickle complications and to lead everything to turn out fine."
The play does include many "magic" moments, but carries a message for the audience, Moyer noted.
:With all the varieties of love and infatuation and betrayal," he said. "the play ultimately encourages us to follow our hearts to find our true love."
At its heart, it brings out the optimist in most of us, Moyer felt.
"I'm a bit of a romantic and find the presentation of the love theme with such great humor and wonderful language to be exciting," he admitted.
The show also provides for a large number of "wonderful roles for our talented undergraduate actors," Moyer added. "It;s a terrific cast that I have the opportunity to work with."
Ultimately the audience will leave the theater after having a good time watching the play and performers, Moyer said.
"Beyond that, the reminders of romance, love, infatuation, betrayal, reconciliation, and a myriad of other experiences from our own lives will vary from person to person," he mused. "As individuals we can simply revel in the piece as an enjoyable comedy or use it to remind us of cherished memories."
The University of South Dakota Department of Theatre will present "A Midsummer Night's Dream," April 2 - 5 at 7:30 p.m. and April 6 at 2 p.m. in the Arena Theatre in the Warren M. Lee Center for Fine Arts, Vermillion. Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for senior citizens, youth (12 and under) and non-university students, and $4 for university students with valid ID. Tickets are available at the box office from noon to 5 p.m. weekdays and noon to curtain on days of performance. As seating is limited, reservations are recommended and can be made by calling the box office at (605) 677-5400 or online at www.usd.edu/cfa/Theatre.
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