For those of us who have only read Shakespeare line by line in English class, the experience can be monotonous, not to mention confusing. This could form a negative association with Shakespeare that can linger throughout high school or even a lifetime. But Shakespeare’s plays were never meant to be experienced as mere texts. The entire essence of the plays are breathed into being by the actors’ interpretation and performance of their lines. Attending a production put on by the Ithaca Shakespeare Company (ISC) proved this point by managing to excite even the most skeptical of viewers. Each year during their summer season, ISC performs several of Shakespeare’s plays in Ithaca’s scenic parks, creating an ambient backdrop for an exciting evening. Attending a live performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, performed in Upper Treman park, brought Shakespeare’s classic play to life.
For those unfamiliar with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the comedy follows three pairs of conflicted and troubled lovers. Characters Lysander and Hermia are forbidden to be together. Helena loves Demetrius, though his heart is set on Hermia. Theseus, Duke of Athens, and Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, hold Hermia’s life in their hands, insisting that she must abide by her father’s wishes and marry Demetrius. Meanwhile, the king and queen of the Fae, Obernon and Titania, have their troubles as well. Using fairy magic, King Obernon and his faithful but mischievous servant, Puck, try to set things right between Hermia and Lysander, Helena and Demetrius, and even the fairy king and queen themselves. However, after an error of mistaken identities and a great deal of mischief, characters fall in and out of love throughout the course of one wild night.
While the original Shakespeare plays were performed only by men, the Ithaca Shakespeare Company casts both men and women. Additionally, they cast some roles with opposite genders, such as the characters Lysander and even Puck. As an allusion to the original Shakespeare plays, the choice melds a past of all-men acting with a present sense of gender equality.
The actors in A Midsummer Night’s Dream were excellent, each one able to embody their character’s personality and how they might interact with other characters. The performers brought life to their lines using actions and emphasis, turning Shakespeare’s language into something that could be understood and enjoyed by all ages. In particular, actress Erin Lockett did a remarkable job as Puck. Playful in her lines and actions, the humor associated with her role was clear in every line.
Throughout the course of the play, it was intriguing and amusing to watch the disaster unfold and wonder if the lovers would ever resolve their conflicts. Perhaps the most entertaining part of all was when the group of characters playing the acting troupe finally put on their play within a play to Duke Theseus and Queen Hippolyta after many hours of tireless but unproductive rehearsals. For their production, the performers pretended to be terrible actors, taking liberties to include ridiculously overdone drama and death scenes as well as unconventional characters, such as a wall with a small peephole. During the rehearsal for these scenes, the ISC actors used improvisation and cues to direct their actions. The result provided a satisfying laugh after the mischief has unfolded and been resolved.
Comedic elements aside, there were also several subtle details that added much to the performance. For example, the actors playing Duke Theseus and Queen Hippolyta, as well as their servants, were mirrored, played by the actors who played the King and Queen of the fairies and the fairy servants. This connection was played upon at the end when Puck, in an act of mischief, removed her servant costume to reveal the deer-horns atop her head, identifying her as a fairy. Another interesting detail from the performance was the lack of interaction between fairies and humans: even while only feet apart, humans were unable to see or hear them. This detail was upheld so well that there were times when it was easy to imagine that the performers themselves were unable to see the fairies. As a result of this lack of interaction, the play seems to ask the viewer if any of the events that happened during the night were real at all, or only a very elaborate dream.
Throughout every scene in the play, audience members were clearly invested in the characters, laughing at both the lines and the actors’ interpretations. Within individual lines and the storyline itself, it was remarkable to see that Shakespeare’s humor still translates today and appeals to a contemporary audience. At the end of the performance, one younger audience member even asked incredulously, “Did Shakespeare really write that?”