UW Theatre & Performance
DIRECTOR'S NOTE
BY TIM WELHAM
Dreams, transformation, and discovering what it means to live
Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream is a masterpiece.
Equal parts comedy and tragedy, it explores the deep recesses of human need, joy and passion. Bookended by the story of Theseus and Hippolyta, it begins with their wedding, and ends with a blessing by the Fairy Spirits. It is ultimately a play about Love (in its many forms) and about the Imagination: for only in our imagination can the true heart of the play be found. Only in our imagination can bushes become bears, friends become enemies, and empty theatres become endless possibilities.
I think of this play as being composed of four distinct worlds:
The world of the Athenian Nobles, with its crude, patriarchal laws;
The world of the Athenian Lovers, desperate to break free of these laws and forge their own destiny;
The world of the Athenian Commoners, striving to lift themselves, even for a moment, out of the ordinary;
And the world of the Fairies of the Forest, living in a magical, transformative place where butterfly wings are used to fan away moonbeams.
It is in the Forest that the Athenians are all transformed - some by magic, and some through the experience of Life. They, just like these student actors, discover new aspects of themselves, and get ever closer to understanding what it means to be human.
Why this play? Why now?
This is my sixth production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream as either an actor, member of the production team, director, or text coach. I find myself working on this play during transitional phases in my life, when I need a dose of laughter and delight. This is serendipitous, seeing as the characters in the play also undergo transition, and experience major life events: Theseus and Hippolyta are on the doorstep of marriage, Oberon and Titania are locked in a custody battle for their adoptive child, the Athenian Commoners prepare to stage the biggest performance of their careers, and the Athenian Lovers all mature from adolescence into adulthood.
I take great comfort knowing that, like me, the audience will see themselves, their stories, and life transitions represented in the many characters and storylines of the play. We have all fought for love like the Athenian Lovers, championed environmental and societal change like Titania, devoted ourselves to a passion like the Athenian Commoners, defended traditions like Egeia, debated issues like Theseus and Hippolyta, and escaped on adventures like Puck. Shakespeare wrote stories for his audience, and this must have been one of his most crowd-pleasing plays, as it speaks to all generations and all phases of life.