Shakespeare’s famed comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, explores the depths of human imagination and mischievousness.
The play, one of Shakespeare’s most revered, will come to Southeast Ohio today when it is performed at 7 p.m. in Stuart’s Opera House.
The American Shakespeare Center, based in Staunton, Va., is performing the show as part of its Almost Blasphemy tour. The touring group puts on renditions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, ’Tis Pity She’s a Whore and The Winter’s Tale throughout the U.S.
The American Shakespeare Center is dedicated to recreating the theatrical experience of the Renaissance and has adopted practices common during Shakespeare’s time.
Lighting illuminates the actors and the audience so they can see each other throughout, and many of the actors perform more than one role in each performance.
One of the most famous Shakespearian theatrical devices was using young men to portray women. Although the company is not exclusively male, they do try to recreate the excitement of gender confusion by occasionally having men portray women and women portray men.
The American Shakespeare Center is dedicated to bringing the joy of Shakespeare to the modern audience. It is the company’s mission to connect the texts to the contemporary society without losing any of the historical integrity of Shakespeare’s works.
bm257008@ohiou.edu
