Quote of the Day: Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, therefore is wing’d Cupid painted blind. William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 1, scene 1. It’s hard to see straight and think straight when your eyes are clouded over by fairy magic and tricky love potion.
Tyler Michaels (Puck) and fairies in the Guthrie Theater’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare and directed by Joe Dowling and David Bolger. Set design by Riccardo Hernández, costume design by Fabio Toblini, lighting design by Frank Butler and projection design by Christopher Ash. February 7 – March 29, 2015, on the Wurtele Thrust Stage at the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis. Photo by Dan Norman.
The Guthrie Theater’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is colorful, bold, psychedelic, lively, and fun. It’s a bit of a trip, if you know what I mean, but then so is love’s journey. Sometimes, people are telling you what to do, like Hermia’s father who decides that she should marry Demetrius because he wants him for a son-in-law. However, Hermia loves Lysander, and Helena love Demetrius, but he doesn’t love her. So, Lysander and Hermia cook up a plan to steal away, through the mystical forest, and secretly wed. Well, Cupid’s arrow doesn’t always shoot straight, and mischievous fairies make sport of human folly. An unsuspecting theatre troupe gets caught up in the shenanigans, and much humor ensues.
Emily Kitchens (Helena), Casey Hoekstra (Demetrius), Zach Keenan (Lysander), Tyler Michaels (Puck) and Eleonore Dendy (Hermia) in the Guthrie Theater’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare and directed by Joe Dowling and David Bolger. Set design by Riccardo Hernández, costume design by Fabio Toblini, lighting design by Frank Butler and projection design by Christopher Ash. February 7 – March 29, 2015, on the Wurtele Thrust Stage at the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis. Photo by Dan Norman.
When you attend a Shakespearean play, it takes a little bit to get used to the language, the words and how they’re strung together, the rhyme, and the play on words. If the actors are good, they know what words to emphasize that help you get the gist of the the dialogue. They also use their bodies and facial expressions, as well as stage movement to tell the story. This play is larger than life. It goes beyond human comprehension into the realm of magic and make-believe with fairies, queens, mystical creatures, and mysterious love potion. You see how easily humans are tricked and manipulated, and once stripped of their worldly layers, they become vulnerable, yet more open to discovering the truth. The staging of this play also brings you in and out of the experience. They have set additional seating at what is the back of the thrust stage, so it is truly theater in the round. When the action is taking place in the realistic place of Athens, Greece, all the action takes place on the stage. When they are in the forest, lights surround us like a giant strobe light, we heard wind chimes and other sound effects, music, and the actors move in and out of the audience, creating a feeling that we are in the mystical forest with them.
Alex Gibson (Mustardseed), Christina Acosta Robinson (Titania), Tyler Michaels (Puck), Nicholas Carrière (Oberon) and Tony Vierling (Peaseblossom) in the Guthrie Theater’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare and directed by Joe Dowling and David Bolger. Set design by Riccardo Hernández, costume design by Fabio Toblini, lighting design by Frank Butler and projection design by Christopher Ash. February 7 – March 29, 2015, on the Wurtele Thrust Stage at the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis. Photo by Dan Norman.
The creative team at the Guthrie Theater turn the Wurtele Thrust Stage into a magical forest and ancient Greece, with a bit of modern fun poked in. With the addition of music, composed by Keith Thomas, and sound design by Scott W. Edwards, all your senses will be seduced by this spectacular production. If you can find your way to The Guthrie Theater this spring, go to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Maybe you’ll be transported into the mystical realm for a while and your own heart will feel lighter.
Go. Create. Inspire!
Journaling Prompt: Do you keep a dream journal? Write about a vivid dream.
I saw this production years ago at a Girl Scout Wider Opportunity in Pennsylvania. I was about 15 years old. I didn’t understand it, even though I recall the magical, mystery of the stage. Thanks for enlightening my more mature mind! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Roxane. These actors and this production are easy to follow.