A Midsummer Night's Dream

The Classic Shakespeare Story

A Midsummer Night's Dream is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare written in the 1590s. One of Shakespeare's most popular works for the stage and widely performed across the world.

Probably composed in 1595 or 1596, A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of Shakespeare's early comedies. Scholars believe that Shakespeare wrote A Midsummer Night's Dream as a light entertainment to accompany a marriage celebration; and while the identity of the historical couple for whom it was meant has never been conclusively established, there is good textual and background evidence available to support this claim. Most critics agree that if a youthful Shakespeare was not at his best in this play, he certainly enjoyed himself in writing it. A Midsummer Night's Dream contains some wonderfully lyrical expressions of lighter Shakespearean themes, most notably those of love, dreams, and the stuff of both, the creative imagination itself. Indeed, close scrutiny of the text by twentieth-century critics has led to a significant upward revision in the play's status, one that overlooks the silliness of its story and concentrates upon its unique lyrical qualities. If A Midsummer Night's Dream can be said to convey a message, it is that the creative imagination is in tune with the supernatural world and is best used to confer the blessings of Nature upon mankind and marriage.

The Off Square Theatre Version directed by John R. Briggs, Producing Artistic Director

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM by William Shakespeare, is timeless in its comedy and magical fantasy.  Our production is set in 1958, Elvis is King; poodle skirts, black leather jackets, greased back hair and up-tight adults are at every turn.    Lysander wants his Hermia, Helena wants her Demetrius; Demetrius doesn’t want Helena but, instead, Hermia, and he is trying to push Lysander out with the help of Hermia’s “daddy”, Egeus.  Egeus doesn’t like Lysander because he’s a duck-tailed rebel, where as Demetrius is a clean-cut letterman.   Egeus is also the sponsor of the hit TV show, Athenian Bandstand, hosted by our Dick Clark-like Theseus.  Egeus threatens to pull Hermia off the show if she refuses to marry Demetrius.  Theseus is only interested in his upcoming wedding to Hippolyta and so he agrees to remove Hermia from the show if she disobeys her father.  To keep from marrying Demetrius, Hermia and Lysander plan to meet at the Palace Wood and then run away.  They share their plan with Helena, who tells Demetrius, in hopes of gaining his love.  Meanwhile, the TV stage hands plan to provide the entertainment for Theseus’ wedding party by performing a play.  To keep their present secret they decide to meet and rehearse at the Palace Wood amusement park.  The Palace Wood amusement park is inhabited by the spirits of rock ‘n roll: Oberon (looking every bit like Elvis), Titania (looking every bit like Rizzo) and Puck (looking every bit like James Dean).  Titania and Oberon are fighting.  Oberon sends Puck for a special flower whose juice will a person to fall in love with whatever next they see.  Our young lovers and Oberon sees Demetrius scorning Helena.  He sends Puck to apply the flower’s juice to Demetrius, so he’ll fall in love with Helena.  Puck mistakenly puts it on Lysander, who falls in love with Helena and scorns Hermia.   At the same time, Puck sees the stage hands rehearsing their play and puts the head of an ass on one of the players.  Titania sees him and falls in love straight away.  Oberon grows tired of the craziness and directs Puck to put things in order.  Later, the stage hands do their play for all the newlyweds.  Fun is had by all and all leave the festivities for bed as Oberon, Titania and Puck come to bless the night with their spirit of rock ‘n roll.