A Midsummer night’s dream

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The course of true love never did run smooth
— A Midsummer Night's Dream

The course of creating live theatre has been a tad bumpy. Could we manage to do a production again in these Covid times? Our last production had to be Live Streamed from the Drama Studio: last year’s Junior Production of Adrian Mole turned from a theatre production into a feature length film. The odds have been stacked against us. The weather is our final barrier.  

Come rain or shine, we have taught the students about how to reinvent and reinterpret Shakespeare. Ian McKellen is currently playing Hamlet in a gender-blind, age-blind production at Windsor. He is 82 years old and reinventing the role. 

“I don’t think people should bother to read Shakespeare. They should see him in the theatre.”  said McKellen. Anthony Hopkins, who has just won an Oscar for his performance in The Father disagrees: Read Shakespeare. It’s about getting a knowledge of civilisation, a knowledge of how humans think.” 

What everyone has in common is the desire to ensure that future generations will value Shakespeare as much as their predecessors have. Shakespeare is robust enough to withstand any number of new interpretations. The world of the play is its cultural and historical context as well as the characters' situation and relationships. Old plays can be reinterpreted and their time and setting changed. 

The cast themselves have been instrumental in setting the agenda for this version of the play. Thus, the Elizabethan Court in Athens becomes a school and the Wood becomes a cool place to hang out at night and escape the madness of the day.

Want more Dream? Why not go to The Globe this summer?


Cast and Crew

The Athenian Academy of Excellence

THE GROWN UPS

Theseus Fergus Wotton 

Hippolyta Shreya Kirubakaran 

Philostrate Leila Baker 

Mrs Egeus Elizabeth Sears 

Mr Egeus Tom Clarke 

THE STAFF  

Head of PE Ruby Rollason 

Head of Maths Krishna Kamalakannan 

Head of MFL Gabriella Shukla 

THE PUPILS  

Head Boy/Oberon Billy Radford 

Head Girl/Titania Hannah Brewer 

Senior Prefect/Puck Savannah Nsofor 

Helena Sofiya Davis 

Hermia Sabina Webb 

Lysander Alexandra Coupland 

Demetrius Daniel Davey 

CACOPHYNY CHOIR AND TITANIA WOOD GANG 

Peaseblossom Edie Whittam 

Cobweb Katherine Kiteley 

Moth Maebh Gibbs 

Mustardseed Isabella Quayle 

Luna                              Ruth Charlton 

Roma                            Alexandra Harrison 

Atlas                              Yerin Heo  

 

THE MECHANICALS 

Quince Harry Harcourt 

Bottom Erinn Curnow-Baker 

Flute Sebastian Hulme 

Starveling Evie Rotherham 

Snout Niamh Maddick 

Snug Diya Patel 

Stewart Aydin Barker 

Compliance Ada Silva Akkya 

Basil Oliver Sproston 

Quercus Olivia Harris 

Sniffle Caitlin Hill 

Lolly Imogen O’Donnell 

PUCK GANG  

Jasmine Doherty 

Claudia Shaw 

Ella Bates 

Ella Westley 

Isabelle Shelley 

Pepper Jessop 

Anastassia Lempidaki 

OBERON GANG  

Henry Helm 

Toby Street 

Artie Hoskins 

Sam Whitton 

Harry Hutson 

Zac Ford 

Oliver Burton 

Louie Lemon 

Creative Team

Musical Director

Bronwen Roberts

Assistant Director

Sarah Pearson    Lukas Carlen 

DSM

Jasmine Wills 

ASM

Jacob Ciuchini 

Marketing/Video Editing

Amika Sanun   Orla McNally     Ryan Attfield 

Photography

Daisy Fulcher 

Choreography/Movement

Sylvie Eustace     Jessica Smith    

Lighting & Sound

Hugo Rees    Harixsan Kamalasiri 

Costume, Hair & Make-up Team

Elise Whiteley    Olivia Ostrowska     Kate Morten Scarlett Greenall  

Music/Band

Orla McNally     Isabelle Shelley 

Set and Props

Advait Sharma     Jessica Smith       Ella Horne      Harry Julian 

ASM

Gabriella Jackson Garcia Harry Julian Alice Skinner 

FRONT OF HOUSE TEAM 

Alice Skinner   Georgina Winters    Scarlett Greenall    Alice Williams   

Eleanor Brown Sajuthan Sathees Sophie Sharma 


THANKS TO: 

Ryan Nicholls for events managing, risk assessing and site set-up plus all the sound and lighting design advice

Rosie Bottomley for all her support providing costumes and helping students look and feel great 

Hugh Edwards for helping with the comedy  

Dannie Harris for polishing some dance bits and vocal coaching 

Bex Erratt for set and prop creative additions 

Steve Fairclough and Caretaking Team for all their help with rehearsal lock-up and solving problems when we had to call the fire brigade

Parents – for listening to lines and providing transport 

Staff who volunteer to work backstage and support the department

Linda Stephens for always being there 

The football scheduling gods for arranging a 5pm kick-off against The Germans on a show night (we’ve mentioned it once but I think we’ve got away with it)

The Weather – for being kind (delete this if we are rained off)  

All the students for being so good about rehearing under Covid restrictions  

The Catering Team for organising food for the cast to sustain energy 

Simon Collins for being super helpful  

Jane and the family for giving up peace and quiet in their home 

ENJOY THE SHOW