Written by Jack Miller
Roanoke College’s theater department put on for their fall performance, a rendition of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This play takes the crown as Shakespeare’s most famous comedy and follows the events leading up to a triple marriage. The couples, Hermia (Charlotte Gaston, freshman) and Lysander (Ryan Haden, senior), and Helena (Kayla Coursey, senior) and Demetrius (Jasey Roberts, sophomore) find themselves all mixed up after mischievous sprite, Puck (Claire McDonald, sophomore), uses the nectar of a flower to make them fall in love. What follows is a comedic romp through the Athenian woods with innuendoes, height jokes, and general mischief galore.
RC’s specific production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream involves a set constructed by students that boasts a forest appeal, complete with a tree, flowers, and rocks.
While many adaptations of this production exist, Theatre RC decided to follow a traditional adaptation of the play. All the costumes, actions, and dialogue are original to Shakespeare’s design. Although the dialogue is spoken in classic Shakespearean tempo, the blocking and production help to fill in the gaps for those who may not completely understand the dialect.
The theater department did a tremendous job with this production. The play is not only interesting and emotional, but hilarious and true to Shakespeare’s original creation.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is playing at Roanoke College’s Olin Theater, Nov. 22 and 23 at 7:30 P.M., lasting approximately two and a half hours.
