Dancing fairies, love potions, transforming a person into an animal: most of these happen in a fantasy is exactly what happens in the play A Midsummers Night Dream, by William Shakespeare. When I first saw this play live in the auditorium, I felt as if I was embedded into the story, that I was actually in the forest, which was where most of the scene took place. It was thrilling and exciting, and the actors and actresses presented the play passionately. However, every single person has a favorite role/roles they saw. For me, it was Nick Bottom and Demetrius, which was played by Sam. Personally, I liked how Sam was totally into character and didn't laugh when he was wrestling with Lysander. When Sam slide across the stage, I was laughing my head off, for it somewhat reminded me of a penguin. Plus, his voice and postures changes showed the arrogance of Nick and how annoyed Demetrius was with Helena at certain points of the play. However, every single person has a favorite role/roles they saw. For me, it was Nick Bottom and Demetrius, which was played by Sam. Personally, I liked how Sam was totally into character and didn't laugh when he was wrestling with Lysander. When Sam slide across the stage, I was laughing my head off, for it somewhat reminded me of a penguin. Plus, his voice and postures changes showed the arrogance of Nick and how annoyed Demetrius was with Helena at certain points of the play. Now, for the set. I wished that they actually had more background music with some props. Sometimes, I got a little bored since there as the really much to look at. It was hard to hear the actors and actresses at times, so I sometimes got confused. Plus, when Bottom wore the donkey head, I didn't hear anything he was saying. Also, I think that if they had some sort of mic in front, the actors wouldn't have to yell as much. The yelling lessened the emotion in the character's voice. Overall, I really enjoyed this play. Keep up the good work and continue to follow your dreams for acting!
The play A Midsummer Night's Dream was very engaging and throughout the entire course of the play I forgot they were acting. I saw the play on May 23rd in my school auditorium. One actor in the play was Tammy, who played Puck. She was very humorous and I never got bored when she played one of her parts. Her body posture constantly caught my eye, and I always laughed. Furthermore, sometimes she ran through the audience and startled people. I enjoyed the costumes. The costumes truly conveyed the personality of the characters—for example, Tammy wore a cheetah costume that was mostly ripped to show her unusually crazy personality. I didn't like the sounds. When Oberon and Titania were fighting, the wind noises in the background didn't show how angry they both were at each other, it just confused the audience through the argument. Overall, the production was very amusing and entertaining. Check out Shakespeare professional acting companies online to see a mind-blowing performance today!
Shakespeare Now's portrayal of A Midsummer Night's Dream at Oak Middle School in Shrewsbury, like all portrayals of this play, adapted parts of it so their portrayal can be effective in how it tells the story. But how good was the performance of this romantic comedy? Firstly, the actors in the play played great parts, with my favorite being the actor who did the portrayal of Nick Bottom. His use of voice and posture made for a great portrayal of Nick Bottom's showy personality, as well as making the audience have a good laugh. Secondly, the sound effects that were heard during the play added tension and made the audience have a sense of what was going on in the play. However, there are no props other than clothes in the play, which takes away from the atmosphere. Despite this, I still think that this performance had an outstanding execution, with great portrayals of characters to give the audience a good laugh. If Shakespeare Now comes to your school, you should look forward to it.
Ever wondered what it was like to witness a Shakespeare play in the flesh? After watching Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a middle school auditorium, it is clear that Shakespeare fans must truly enjoy not only the conflict and resolution between four young lovers, but also a portrayal of a relatable fantasy in which a member of a couple resorts to manipulative unorthodox methods to resolve a quarrel to their favor. Additionally, a conceited actor shows off to other actors of the cast in a play, only to be taught a lesson by a mischievous bystander. A particularly outstanding actress, known as Tammy by her coworkers, and Puck/Egeus by the audience, successfully portrayed the mischievous aspect of one of her characters through humor and expression. Throughout the performance, Tammy continued to depict her confidence, which helped the audience better comprehend her character. While specific scenes had to be cut from the performance due to lack of time, the sound design of the play was able to make up for it on multiple occasions, such as the subtle thunder sound effects used to show the audience the part of the play in which nature is affected by the conflict between two characters. Furthermore, these sound effects added to the already attention-capturing excitement of the performance, creating a kind of irreplaceable entertainment. However, the lack of scenery in the set, although it was very much like that of the play’s time period, made it less interesting and slightly difficult to comprehend where the scene was taking place. Overall, the production was a dramatic success, and if someone decides to go and see it, they should be prepared to be blown away.
Shakespeare is considered one of the greatest play writer of all time, so it was nice to see Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream performed for Oak Middle School by Shakespeare Now. This play begins with Hermia wanting to marry Lysander, but her father wants Hermia to marry Demetrius and Hermia's friend Helena wants to marry Demetrius. In the end, Hermia and Lysander end up getting married along with Helena and Demetrius. One of the actors, who's name is Sam, played both Demetrius and Nick Bottom. I enjoyed his performance of both Demetrius and Bottom because of the way he made his characters seem real through the use of voice and body motions. In one part of the performance, Demetrius and Lysander were wrestling, and it didn't seem like a scripted event. I enjoyed the sound design of the performance, especially the thunder during Titania and Oberon's argument. It emphasized the tension between the two characters. I feel that the set design could use a bit of work, because it was a bit confusing for people who have never read A Midsummer Night's Dream before to know where the scenes took place. I feel that the group Shakespeare Now did a very good job of performing A Midsummer Night's Dream, and if they ever come to your school, it will definitely be a fun experience.
We saw a Midsummer Night's Dream written by William Shakespeare today. This play was shown in our auditorium from 9:00AM-10:30AM. This play shows how love can be hard sometimes by showing a romantic comedy about 4 lovers who face many challenges while fairies mess it up, many actors putting together a play.Don't miss the opportunity to watch the play if they come to your school! This play contained 6 actors, and they played multiple parts (about 3). An actor that I really admired in the play was the person who played Hermia. I think she brought out her roles very well and you could tell that she was actually acting, not just saying her lines because she has to. You could tell that she was very into her character and I loved how she was very expressive. Coming to a technical element I liked their costumes, especially how they managed to switch characters and costumes so fast. You couldn't even tell that the same person was playing another character. On the other hand, one thing I didn't find so impressive was the lighting. They should have dimmed the audience and focused the spotlight more on the actors. I feel that maybe if they did that, it would have been easier to understand the play. They also didn't have that much scenery, so unless you have some background knowledge of the play, you couldn't tell what was going on. Overall, I did enjoy the production. The actors made the play very eye-catching and capturing to the audience and interacted with the audience members very well. This is a must-watch, don't miss out!
Students in eighth grade at Oak Middle School watched a Shakespearean play, A Midsummer Night's Dream on May 23rd. In our opinion, Tami was the best overall actor. She played the parts of Puck, Egeus and Starveling. She was very vocal, loud and it fit her characters behaviors perfectly. The costumes made the characters stick out more and because the actors play more than one part it helps divide the acts and it makes it easier to tell who is who. Also, the sound effects helps set the setting and tells the audience the theme. We didn't like the actress that played Hermia because when she played the part of another character the change was not dramatic enough. Which confused the audience on what character she was playing. We liked this play, but it wasn't really in a modern statistic which I believe makes it hard to comprehend more in this day and age. They are now on tour and if you're reading the book A Midsummer Night's Dream, we highly recommend that you see this play. Not only does it give you a visual, it makes it ten times more understandable when you are reading.
I saw A Midsummer's Night Dream. I saw the play today 5/23. I saw it in an auditorium in Oak middle school. It was about how true love never ran smooth, where the four lover's love was changed and mixed. The actors name was Tammy who played Puck. What I enjoyed was that she used items from the audience for her character. Her body language kept to her character of Puck and helped the reader what was going on making the play what it was in the scene. I like the sound, for it have emphases to important events that happened within the play. I enjoyed it because it gave a setting which developed the overall performance. What I did not like in the play was the lighting. I did not enjoy it because the lighting was kept the same when there were times of night and day. This made the setting difficult to understand, for people who are knew to Shakespeare. Even though the play had its drawbacks, it was a great performance and the acting was well done. The play I saw had scenes cut out, however when you see it you will get all of the scenes. This play is worth the money, and you will expect a humorous, and joyful time.
Hilarious, dramatic, and touching, A Midsummer Night's Dream, by William Shakespeare, is a romantic comedy with four lovers who are in a tangled mess—all because of one mischievous fairy. I attended Shakespeare Now's performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream on May 23, 2016, from 9:00-10:30 AM at Oak Middle School. Even though all of the actors performed well, I thought that Danny, who played Hermia, Snout the Wall, and the Fairy, did an exceptional job. She utilized vocal variety and body language to make the performance engaging and entertaining; the passion in her face and her gestures (especially when she is looking for Lysander) is apparent. In addition, a technical aspect I enjoyed was the costumes. They really reflect the different characters and their statuses, and I thought it was clever that Helena had a pink skirt and Demetrius had a pink vest, giving a visual clue about how they were "meant to be" (although I'm not sure this was intentional). However, I believe that if Nathan, who played Oberon, Theseus, and Peter Quince, improved his acting, the play would be better. Nathan's voice was not as varied as some of the other actors, and at some points he did not project, making it hard to hear what he is saying. Moreover, each of the characters he played seemed similar, although they are not supposed to be. In general, Shakespeare Now's edition of A Midsummer Night's Dream was very humorous and interactive. If interested in watching their performances, they will be performing A Midsummer Night's Dream in schools from March 14 to June 2016.
This morning at my school, I saw the play A Midsummer Night's Dream performed by Shakespeare Now. This is a a dramatic play about three stories that come together at the end. The first story is about four lovers, the second is about fairies who live in the woods, and the third is about actors who want to put on a play at the royal wedding. In the end, the four lovers end up with the right person, the king and queen of fairies stop fighting and the actors put on their play. then everyone falls asleep. An actor I really liked in this play is Tammy. She played Puck, the servant of the fairy king Oberon. She was really outgoing during her parts and used her voice for hilarious sound effects which made for a very entertaining show. The sound effects such as the thunder, really added to the drama. They also made it so I knew when the flower oil was being poured on the characters eyes, which made them fall in love. I did not like the lighting of this show. The lighting always stayed the same which took away from the drama and the mood because there was always the same light even when a sad or angry scene came on. Overall I enjoyed this play because it was very entertaining and related well to the foolishness of people when they experience love.
On May twenty third, one of Shakespeare's most famous, comedic, romantic, and intriguing plays was performed in the oak middle school auditorium. The play is about four people, all in a convoluted love rectangle. Two people, Hermia and Lysander, are in love, and are forbidden to get married, so they decide to head to the forest. Meanwhile, Demetrius also loves Hermia, but Helena loves Demitrius. They go through a serious of unfortunate events such as a fairy drugging the wrong person. It then becomes up to a fairy named puck to set things strait with the four lovers. The actor named Tammy played Puck, Oberan's servant. Their performance was very engaging with the audience by interacting with them, running up and down the aisle, and talking in a loud, and amusing voice. They helped develop their character through their string use of body language, including hand motions, and lots of movement, which helped convey the characters personality. They also used a loud and playful voice which helped show the audience how jumpy and entertaining puck is. Her body language and playful voice helped show the audience the characters personality, which helped people understand the character much better. Because there was little to no props, and very little lighting, it became dull at some points of the performance. But this also made it easier to do use on the acting and the plot of the play. I didn't like that there was no props and lighting because it became boring at times, and took away from the understanding of the play. I thought the play was ok overall. The acting was good and it was easier to understand than the book, but because there was no props or lighting, it became boring near the end.
Shakespeare, arguably one of the most iconic and legendary writers of all time, wrote many plays during his lifetime—such as “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”. “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” is a romantic comedy that follows three storylines, in which they eventually get intertwined with each other. On May 22, 2016, my grade was given the opportunity to experience a live performance of “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” done by an acting company called ‘Shakespeare Now’. Overall, the play was enjoyable with decent acting, however one actress in particular was my personal favorite—Tammy. Tammy took on many roles, with the most contrasting being Robin Goodfellow (Puck) and Egeus. She was able to accurately convey Egeus’s anger and assertiveness, as well as Puck’s bubbly and mischievous persona without breaking character between scenes. In contrast, however, Danny was my least favorite actress. Besides playing Hermia, she played many minor roles as well. In my opinion, her portrayal of Hermia was very weak as she failed to present the emotion of sadness and agony when Lysander began pursuing Helena, and instead only displayed anger and snobbishness. And although she played minor roles aside from Hermia, those minor roles began to merge with ‘Hermia’, making it difficult to differentiate the characters from each other at times. Besides the acting, I really enjoyed the minimal props and costumes because it allowed the audience to focus on the play and storyline, enabling the reader to have a deeper understanding of the theme, and also had the acting quality stand out more prominently. All in all, Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer’s Night Dream’ done by ‘Shakespeare Now’ is an enjoyable play and experience, however may only stand as a one-time experience as it may seem outdated and unappealing to our modern tastes.
Shakespeare play. A midsummer nights dream on May 23, 2016. Daniele played hermia and she was a very good actress, who did a great job playing her part. The costumes really made the play and made it easy for the audience to know who was playing who. I didn't like how it ran on forever and the dude kissed two girls. Overall, it was very good and fun to watch. I recommend watching with someone who doesn't talk a lot.
Today I saw a play about A Midsummers Night Dream by William Shakespeare. One of the actors in the play named Sam played Demetrius and Bottom, he made the play feel serious by having good posture and making the play look correct. But in throughout the play none of the actors were extremely loud, and I had problems hearing what was happening. Another part of the play that I enjoyed, was the lighting because it was good and I didn't have any problems seeing the play. Although I did not like the play, that doesn't mean it was completely bad, there was many parts during the play that are funny. In my opinion it is a very long play and it is easy to get bored during it, and I would not recommend this play
I saw a lot of violence but that created enjoyment I saw a lot of it when Demetrius, Lysander, Hermia and Helena were all fighting, right smack in the middle of the stage. This is what made this play great:your acting skills.One aspect that stood out was my favorite character. Character that stood out to me:Name:Mack Character played:Lysander.They memorized their lines first so they could improve on other things as well. He said it really helped him be able to act out and not laugh in the audience, same with Demetrius. Technological aspect: No lighting a lot of costumes.The costumes made things a lot less confusing who was who. I did not need to crush my brain, I knew straight away which person played which part. What I did not like,Nick bottom Just blabbing off the play about Pyramus. You guys really acted out but I though his part was very boring. It like sucked all the excitement out of me From a scale of 1-5 I would actually give u a 5. You'd get a 5+ if nick bottom blabbed off less. If you plan to perform this again, summarize nick bottoms part!
The set design was just the stage it's self, not backdrops, special lighting, and sometimes broke the fourth wall. In my perspective there was no costume designer, each actor had to dress themselves, and I'm sure they had their own costumes organized for themselves. Theseus wore a gold crown, and a golden sash, Hippolyta also woe the same thing. Hermia wore a black top with sleeves and a long blue skirt. Helena wore a black top with sleeves and wore a long pink skirt. Lysander wore all black with a turquoise vest. Demetrius wore all black and a magenta vest. Egeus wore a dark blue hat and robes in satin. Nick bottom, Peter quince, Francis flute, Tom snout, and Snug all wore lower class clothes like brown, tan, yellow, and other colors like that. Puck, Oberon, Titania, wore metallic clothes in ren, brown, yellow, and other forestry colors that make them look like faires.hting design I could say was done fairly poorly, I know that the actors had to run up and down the aisle, but it sorta breaks the fourth wall in the rule of acting. The lights stayed the same and they didn't follow just one person, they stayed on the whole time, and there was no color added to the lights if there was a climax coming like for example for a death the lights could get red. Sound design was pretty good, considering the scene where Oberon and Titania were fighting they used some type of sheet of metal to make the thunder sounds, and some type of sand to make the sound of the rain. When Oberon and Puck out the flower juice into the eyes of people, they ,add a sound that sounded like drops or some type of rattle. For me I thought that all of the actors were the directors, because they didn't seem to have one, and I think they help each other out like a team to make the play well a play. The director did a very nice job on the scenes. The actors were good too, I think Tammy did a nice job putting the image of puck to be a trouble maker. I think on a scale of 1-10 I would rate this play as a 6 because, even though they were great, it would be interesting to see a backdrop, lighting could be a little more different than just having it stay on the whole time, like when the characters run down they could do a small spot light if there was a bigger stage, and maybe try to add more detail into the costumes even though this play is supposed to be a simple on and not spend too much money on it, it's just my opinion.
A Midsummer Nights Dream is a play that shows how confusing and random love is with fairies and magic potion. When two lovers flee to the woods because the one of their fathers does not want them to be together, King Oberon and Puck are sure to meddle with them. Demetrius and neglected Helena are also intertwined into the story by mischievous Puck. The common men from the town practice their play and find themselves pulled into the story by Puck's mischievous doings. The set design could have improved, since there were no props on the stage. There was nothing to help us visualize the setting. It was confusing at times when you couldn't understand a certain part. For example, when Oberon is eavesdropping on Demetrius and Helena, it took a second to realize that Oberon was hiding behind a tree. It would have been helpful if there was something there. We understand that the characters need clothing that is quick to change in and out of, but it didn't seem right sometimes. Helena and Hermia are dressed in simple skirts, making them look like common people, but they speak in poetry, so they are supposed to be wealthy. It would help if the skirts were fancier. Hippolyta could have been more fancy as well. The lighting was fine, it shone right on the stage. It was constant for the whole play, though. It could be more enticing and dramatic if the light dimmed and brightened at times. If they added some props, the lighting could dim when they are moving the props. When people were laughing, it was really hard to hear the actors. If they had those clip on speakers or the microphones that are attached to their face that were louder, it would be easier to understand them. When there is thunder during Oberon and Titania's argument, it could be accentuated at the times that are more angry and loud. The director did a good job showing the characters personalities. The pda added humor and it brought a reaction from the audience, which is always important in theater. I think that Sarah should have been Hermia and Helena should have been Danny. It just makes more sense, I guess, and they would look more the part. I love how they made Hermia a brat and Helena so confused, it was really funny! Overall, the play was fun and interesting to watch, and it is truly and experience we would not forget. It would be so much better with the changes we thought of above.
A Midsummer Night's Dream was a thrilling play about how love nas obstacles that can be overcome. We saw the play at Oak Middle School on May 23, 2016. A Midsummer Night's Dream was about four characters who all have complicated relationships together. The play continues with towns people and magical characters who get integrated into the lives of the mortal charcters who are in love with one another. Tammy, one of the actresses in the play, had the roles of Puck, Egeus, and one of the townspeople. Her performance was enjoyable because it was full of energy and she never broke out of her character. She put in all of her effort into each line and scene. Tammy used her body language and facial expressions to portray her character. She made funny faces to show the reactions of her characters. She also made gestures and used her body to emphasize the personalities of her characters. When she played one character, she had a specific kind of walk for that character. By changing her walk for her different characters, it was easy to distinguish who she was playing. The costumes was a technical aspect we enjoyed. It made it easy to distinguish who was who. They had simple costumes over a completely black outfits which made it easy for them to change. An actor that wasn't as great as the others was Nathan. He played Oberon, Theseus, and Peter Quince. We didn't enjoy how he didn't have as much emotion or make his characters distinguishable enough. He spoke the same way for every character he played. Overall, it was a good production. If you go, be ready for a good laugh and interactive production.
What is the best romantic comedy you've ever seen? Chances are, it was written by William Shakespeare. On May 23rd, we saw A Midsummer Night's Dream, our favorite romantic comedy. It was performed at Oak Middle School in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. The play is about two couples, one couple who doesn't love each other, and one who does. They go through a series of events that change how they think about one another. An actor we loved was Puck. We enjoyed how realistic and funny the actor was in her movements. After all, Puck is a mischievous fairy servant. One technical aspect that we liked in the play was the costumes. We felt that the costumes made the characters believable and helped to develop their characters. One thing we didn't enjoy was the set. There weren't any props or backdrops, so it was hard to tell where the characters were, and made the setting confusing. Without a good set, the setting was the same throughout the play. Overall, the play was enjoyable. Even though there were only six actors, they all performed well in their many roles. If you get a chance to see it, see it! It's a great experience!
Today I saw the play of the mid Summer's night dream, my thoughts are a little mixed about this play. Some parts of the play are really good and have good emotion but some parts where weak and had no emotion. I thought that is was cool how only 6 characters played all the parts. My favorite person was Tamil who played puck she was great, I thought she was funny and she kept everyone in gaged with the play. I liked the sound that they made with the thunder to add the angry part to the room and it sounded cool. I thought the lack of setting was really effecting the play. Overall, the play was good and the actors where good.
Imagine being stuck in a love triangle, loving someone but they don't love you back. This is one case in the Shakespeare's play "A Midsummer Night's Dream". This play was depicted at Oak Middle School, where we saw Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius and Helena twisted in a love triangle. We also saw that Oberon and Titania argue over a child, and saw that they made Demetrius love Helena and Lysander love Hermia so that everyone was happy. Bottom and his squad presented a play for Hippolyta and Theseus. The actor who played Bottom presented his character very well, because he acted foolish and full of himself. His body posture helped him portray the character. The sound was created from behind the curtain and added mood to the play, creating suspense and a sense of reality. The lighting did not do much because it didn't change and added no affect to the play. A special feeling can be added by the lighting however it was not in this play. I think it was a good overall play with very few flaws. They come to schools and present this pretty good play for free.
Today I saw the play A Midsummer Night's Dream during school. The play told of Lysander and Hermia, two lovers who try to escape the city of Athens because Hermia's father wants her to marry Demetrius, another man who left his girlfriend Helena for Hermia. Hermia and Lysander's escape is screwed up by a fairy named Robin who makes a mistake when trying to help Helena get Demetrius back and charms Lysander to lover Hermia, and hilarity ensues from there. The actors did a good job of representing the characters, especially the actress named Robin, she represented him as a funny, tricky servant of the fairy King, just as he actual play shows. Her body language showed that Robin was a hyper and funny fairy who likes to dance as expressed by the actress. The costumes were simple though they clearly pointed out each character differently. For instance, the four lovers all have a different color clothing on to help the audience tell them apart. There was little lighting and effects. Although there was few sound effects made to signify when a spell was being placed on someone, there really wasn't anything else. We watched the play with all e lights on, there wasn't any lighting to add to the play. As for setting, there was no set or background that made it hard to comprehend where they were. In conclusion, the way the performers preformed a mid summer night's dream made it easy to differentiate the characters and made it funny and actually entertaining to watch, it needs a little more setting and lighting in order to make it perfect.
They play A Mid Summers Night Dream was preformed at 9:50 at oak middle school's auditorium by shakespeare now. The play was about four lovers three fairies and six actors. the four lovers were in love with the wrong people throughout the play, the three fairies are messing with both the actors and the lovers. At the end of the play the fairies stop messing the the lovers and the actors, the lovers end up loving the correct people and the actors preform the play. The character Hermia was played by Dannie the performance of that character was realistic and what people would imagine the character. Dannie used her body language and her voice tone to really show off the character. This helped make the play more realistic and that we were really looking at Hermia and what she would do say and act. The way the costumes were used helped the play's atmosphere. You can tell who was the different character because all actors played different characters. This helped with confusion and who was who in the play. It helped when it was transitioning into either the fairies the actors or the lovers. Sadly, the play did not use any sets. They had to rely on themselves to try and make the play less confusing. This took away some of the feel that your actually there and not people just reading on a stage. If there were sets then the performance would be better. Overall, they play was great and really helped people see the book come to life. It has an interactive audience at some points that made people have a lot of fun. The next time they are preforming is at 5/23/17 at Oak middle school auditorium at 9:50 AM.
I saw the play of a Midsummers Night Dream at Oak Middle School. It was performed by a 6 man acting group. 3 guys and 3 women. They shortened the play to 1 hour. Lysander, Hermia, Helena, Puck, the actors, bottom, thesius and his wife, some fairies, and the king and queen were all played. I liked the girl who played puck. She had good body movement and she had her lines greatly memorized. She was aloe very interactive with the audience. They had good costumes but their lighting wasn't very great. I would like maybe to hear them louder maybe with mikes. Overall I love the play and thought it was veryyyyyy funny. It helped me get an awesome overview of the whole play.
I thought that the production of Midsummer Night's Dream was well executed. I liked that the costume changes were quick and significant, and there was an outfit for each character. I believe that the actors played each part very well. I found it easy to understand the lines, even when it was odd wording. The cast clearly understood what they were saying and loved what they are doing. They made the play much more interesting then I thought it could be. I was very impressed by the the blocking in each scene, it seemed no one was out of place. Nobody upstaged anyone, and I could hear most lines clearly. Except, I couldn't hear Sam/Bottom while wearing the donkey head, which I understand. I like how the relationships between them felt so real. I didn't enjoy how the lights were on in the audience. Though it was so we could see when actors were running through aisles or jumped offstage, I think it would've been more like a real performance if it had been dark. There wasn't a actor I didn't like. Overall, I think this production was a joy to see, and I found it interesting to watch.
I had the oppurtunity to see Shakesperes "A Midsummers Nights Dream" in person. This is one of the best Shakespere plays I have ever seen. Overall, the actors did a very good job of bringing Shakesperes "A Midsummers Night's Dream" to life. The love triangle between Lysander, Demetrius, Helena, and hermia was shown during this. My favorite actor was Tammy, and she mainly played Puck. She used her body language and facial expressions to suck in the audience and make all of us laugh. The way she changed her voice to fit the character made the play so much more enjoyable. I liked the costumes that the characters wore. I enjoyed this because it helped me see that the characters really got into character and it made the story more realistic. This added a sense of realism and fun to the play. The one thing I didn't like about the play was the lighting. I didn't like how the lights were turned on the entire time. I think it would have been better if there was a spotlight and a lighting crew. Overall, I liked the play. Even though there were some aspects that were missing, the characters attitudes and how they could make me laugh made up for it. The play is around 1 hour and 30 minutes long. The characters there work very well together and make sure to integrate the audience into the play. I was very impressed with the people.
I saw a play on a midsummers night dream. I saw it at school and it was five minutes ago. The play was about 4 lovers and the actors and Oberon and Titania. They all end up interfering with each other's plan. Sam played Demetrius and Nick bottom. I liked his character because he was funny and he wanted to take every part in the play. Their body posture was key to their performance. It made emotion. I like the sounds that made when it was thundering out. It added volume to the performance. Overall the play was really good it had great characters and it was realistic to the time period.
In the play," A Midsummer Nights Dream" I saw, a play with three different parts the fairies, actors, and lovers. The fairy King and Queen were fighting over a child that the queen had. The king wanted it but wouldn't give it to him. The actors were rehearsing to make a play for the duke and duchess's wedding. Bottom wanted to play every role and he was turned into a donkey by puck. The lovers were on a wild chase for each other. My favorite actor in the play was Sam, played Demetrius, Bottom, and Pyramus. I really enjoyed the way he projected his voice and how he stayed in character the whole entire play. He also used his voice to project it through the audience. I really enjoyed the sound. The sound director made the aspect of suspense, humor, and happiness. The sound helped portray the feelings that the actor tried to show when they were in character. I liked the way it helped the play as a whole. I didn't like the lighting. It was always bright so I thought when it was night it should be dark and it just stayed light. Overall, I thought that the whole production was really good and it portrayed the book exactly what I would think it would be like. It also had a nice modern twist to it.
Very few actors are able to capture Shakespeares plays correctly. However this particular acting company executed the play correctly. The actors used body movment to exaggerate certain parts wich created a thrilling and more funny experince. Howvere one issue i had with the play was hermias depiction. She seemed winy and i disliked her character almost immediently
It is the play that will be remembered forever. On May 23, 2016, the eighth grade at Oak Middle School saw the play, A Midsummer Night's Dream in their auditorium. The play, by William Shakespeare, follows four young people, Hermia, Lysander, Helena, and Demitrius. Demitrius and Hermia are betrothed to each other. Unfortunately, Hermia loves Lysander, not Demitrius. And Helena loves Demetrius, who is completely uninterested. Overall, the best performance was by Tammy. She portrayed the character "Puck" very well, as well as the other characters. She had very distinct ways of creating each role. The costumes were not the best quality but they needed to be simple seeing how the actors played different roles. This means that they needed to change quickly from scene to scene. Overall, none of the technical aspects were very impressive. The actress that played Hermia took the character in a different direction. She made Hermia a little more on the spoiled brat side which made Hermia not the most likable character. Overall I was expecting a little more from the performance, especially from the set and lighting design. However, the acting was exceptional and enjoyable to watch.
i saw a midsummer nights dream today at the oak middle school auditorium. There were 6 actors who each played multiple parts in shakespeare's a midsummer nights dream. i think the actor for puck was good because she was very active while she was acting and it made the play a lot more playful. the costumes used in the play were good because they looked easy to change out of and also they looked very good and the costumes looked like something the characters would wear. i didn't like the sets because it made it a lot harder to understand what was going on. i thought the play was high quality and the actors were very easy to understand so i would recommend seeing it.
The day we watched a Midsummers night dream by Shakespeare . It was a true love story with lots of challenges . The characters kept their act well. I enjoyed how the characters got into the scenes and they didn't break the fourth wall. I especially thought it was cool when they went into the audience
During the play A Midsummers Nights Dream, the play came to life more than or did when I started to read the book. The actors did a great job portraying the characters they were playing at certain parts (because they all played at least 2 characters). The actors who played Demetrious and Lysander did a great job especially during the fight scene. They were able to keep straight faces while everyone else was laughing. The actresses who played Helena and Hermia did the same also. There were some things i would fix about the preformance however. Yes i understand it is in a school auditorium and the transitions were quick but they had no set and without that at times i forgot where they even were. The actor who played Bottom i think needs to speak up more especially when he has the head of an ass on his body. Because of the head it made what he was saying a little unclear at times. The actress who played Puck was most likely my favorite because yes she broke the fourth wall but it made the play way more entertaining.
A midsummer nights dream, it is a play about the course of love. These 4 lovers go through a long and tiring path to true love. Fairies and other things causing them to change opinions and fall in love all over again. Sarah, played the parts of Helena, Titiana, the lion, and Hippolyta. I enjoyed how involved she was in her character. She did a great Jonah of making her character come to life and show exactly what she was like in the original story. She used a lot of body language, like pacing and hand motions. And thus helped her make her character more animated. The sound effects were very creative, they used flimsy metal to make thunder, and a rain stick, and clappers. They gave the play a little bit of sound. I didn't like how the lights were on the whole time. It would have been better with special lighting, like spotlights. It caused it to be a little bit more boring. I think the production was very well done, and really brought Shakespeare's writing to life.
A play, written in 1596 by William Shakespeare, and presented hilariously, dramatically, and realistically by Shakespeare Now on May 23, 2016 was definitely A Midsummer Night's Dream. This comedy was presented in Oak Middle School, and is basically when four lovers mix up their feelings about each other because of a magical fairy and magic. Tammy was my favorite actor because she had great emotion and brought life into the characters that she played. Tammy played Puck, Robin Starveling, and Egus, and had a great loud voice and a fantastic body language. She gave the each of her characters a distinct personality. To make the play seem more realistic and dramatic, the costumes and sound pitched in. The costumes helped to show a character change, and the sound helped to give a feel as to what was happening. Although, the sound could have been a bit more realistic sounding, but mainly the lighting and the stage set could've made the play better. It was hard to see the difference between scenes and background (from the palace to the forest, from day to night), and the lighting and the props obviously can make that confusion disappear. Other than that, I enjoyed the play a lot! All the characters were energetic, enthusiastic, and actually became their character. If Shakespeare Now comes to you, trust me, you will enjoy it a lot.
Today at Oak Middle School the 8th grade students saw the performance of the classic play by William Shakespeare "Mid Summer Night Dream". The story is a very confusing and complex love story with 4 characters seeking true love. But for a play that was written many years ago it still will make people laugh and have a good time. The company that preformed the play stated that they put around 6 weeks of training just for this play and it looks like all the training payed off well, all actors where very good and well trained but one really stood out from the others, his name was Sam, he played Demetrius, Nick Bottom, and Pyramus, he played all characters well and was very enthusiastic, Sam played all three roles with the same amount of effort and charisma creating a very nice play. One aspect of the play that grab our attention was the sound affects, the sound affects made the play seem a lot more interesting and added a lot more excitement. The play had no props or great costumes but this is what it would have looked like back in Shakespeare time. But after hearing some feed back from people they said that the play did not grab their attention like the ones from the seventh grade. Although the play had some good and bad parts I would give it a 8/10. The reason is because it was interesting but confusing at times and the lack emotion in the play also had a huge role in why I gave it an 8/10.
Today, May 23rd, at 9:07 am until 10:20 am, in the oak middle school auditorium the play a mid- summers night dream by shakespeare was performed for us. Do Shakespeare's words reach you emotionally, then this is the play for you! The play shows the struggle of lovers in their way to true love. One thing the actors did that really complimented a scene was when they added the thunder to Oberon and Titania conversation. It showed the feud and the drama going on between them. By far the best actor of the play was mack. One of the characters he played was lysander, but because he played more than one, he did a good job transitioning and showing the personality differences between characters. He was very good at keeping a 4th wall between him and his audience. His attitude and posture added to his acting. On the other hand, we did not like Dani, who played hermia and the fairy, she did not connect with the audience and change between characters very well. In conclusion, when performed by actors there are downfalls and positives to seeing the live play. ~Gianna and Erin
On May 23rd, 2016 at 9:00 AM, the eighth grade class at Oak Middle School welcomed the Shakespeare Now theater group to perform A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. This play is a romantic comedy about four confused lovers, some mischievous fairies, and the Athenian duke's wedding. All of the actors did an exceptional job of portraying their characters, but there was one who stood out to us the most; her name was Dani and she played Hermia, Snout, and one of Titania's fairy servants. Throughout the play, she was expressive and appropriately dramatic, using her voice and body language to convey her characters' personalities and add spice and emotion to the overall performance. An additional aspect of the play that we enjoyed was the sound effects; we felt that their dramatic influence aided the audience's understanding of the setting and the scene's impact on the characters. Although most of the technical aspects of the performance were terrific, the lighting lacked in effectiveness. There was a single light setting throughout the play, making it hard for the audience to connect the scene that was being performed to its appropriate setting, especially if the viewers had no previous exposure to A Midsummer Night's Dream. Even though there were minor flaws in the performance, Shakespeare Now did an amazing job portraying Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. If you plan on watching this group perform, be ready for an unforgettable theatrical experience! - Fiona and Arushi
Today on May twenty-third, I saw a Midsummer nights dream by William Shakespeare. The main idea is about how 2 couples that want to marry, only to have the law stand in the way of their big days. The play was great, however it has some minor flaws. The plays humorous tone toward the audience and clear speaking made the play a must see by keeping the audience on the edge of their seat. The actor or actress who played puck, spoke lines with a humorous tone, and I can't even keep track of how many times I laughed during the play. Despite the humorous tone, the play had its flaws. Helena's character was extremely over dramatic, over Demetrius who she loves and half the time, she sounded like its the end of the world. Additionally, Hermia's character just sounded like a spoiled child, but her lines were humors compared to Helena's over dramatic lines which contain little to nothing when it comes to humor. The lighting and sound effects, really highlights the play and painted a picture in the audience's mind and people like my self really began to think they are in a jungle or forest. Beyond the shadow of doubt, plays have their ups and downs, but on a scale of 1-10 , this deserves a 9.5. The play's rich sophisticated tone and perfect blend of humor and lighting, made the play lifelike. However, certain lines were a bit too overdramatizing. Despite the rare instances of overdramatizing, the play over all is a must see even if Shakespeare is not your favorite.
Today at 9:00, I saw a play based on "A Midsummer Night's Dream". The play was shown in the oak school auditorium. The play is broken down into three different parts, the actors, the lovers and the fairies. However, the three different stories eventually intertwine together, and chaos occurs. But in the end, all the problems are resolved, and everything goes back to how it should be. I personally enjoyed how Matt acted onstage. He played the roles of Lysander, Francis Flute, and Thisbe. Matt was hilarious and he never broke his character while acting. He continued to express the certain traits of the characters he played. I think that he used emotion through his voice as a way to show the personality of the characters. Furthermore, I think that the sound effects were a technical aspect that helped enhance the overall performance. The use of thunder clearly showed the tension between Titania and Oberon and how it not only effected their relationship but everyone else around them. Moreover the bells showed that the fairies were magical and the actors stomped their feet while running to show how they were angry at someone/something. However, the set design and lighting of the play were not done very well in my opinion. In fact, it was very difficult to understand where the characters were. I think that the play director should have switched the lighting according to night and day, and used background images to convey the setting of the play more accurately. I understand that the director wanted to make the play with the aspects in Shakespeare's time, however the play is nowadays preformed for a modern audience. So, lighting and set design would make the play more interesting and appealing. All in all, I think that the production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" deserved four out of five stars. Even though there were some tweaks that I would have added to improve the play, I think that it was very nicely done. If you go to watch the play, make sure to come on May 23 to the oak auditorium. Also, make sure to arrive by 8:30 to get the best seats.
Shakespeare is a world famous playwright who wrote many plays such as A Midsummer's Night Dream. This play was preformed to us today by Shakespeare Now, a company who specializes in preforming plays written the bard. They had 6 actors who preformed the entire play by having the same person playing multiple roles. Due to the time constraint, they had to cut out many parts and some characters but the play still remains very good and had a lot of humor thrown in to it. The play starts with 4 lovers, Lysander, Hermia, Helena, and Demetrius. Lysander loves Hermia and vice versa but Hermia's father Egeus, wants his daughter to marry Demetrius who used to love Helena. To escape the law, Lysander snd Hermia run away into the woods with Demetrius and Helena chasing them. But the fairies mess up the lover's love and have the two men love Helena. The fairies realize their mistakes and change everything back to normal and everything is god again and the twi couples get married. When watching the play, I enjoyed watching Matt play Flute, Thisbe, and Lysander because it was very funny seeing a man play as a woman and how he used his voice to try to imitate a woman. A technical thing I liked about the play was the costumes helped define the characters better because they all had more than one role and so the costumes helped define the characters. Especially when the fairies and humans were mixed together. Something that I think could have made the play more clear is adding scenery. If we did not know what happens in the play, it is hard to pick up that everyone ends up running into the woods at night so it may be confusing. I think the play was very good and should be watched by next year's 8th graders.
Shakespeare is a world famous playwright who wrote many plays such as A Midsummer's Night Dream. This play was preformed to us today by Shakespeare Now, a company who specializes in preforming plays written the bard. They had 6 actors who preformed the entire play by having the same person playing multiple roles. Due to the time constraint, they had to cut out many parts and some characters but the play still remains very good and had a lot of humor thrown in to it. The play starts with 4 lovers, Lysander, Hermia, Helena, and Demetrius. Lysander loves Hermia and vice versa but Hermia's father Egeus, wants his daughter to marry Demetrius who used to love Helena. To escape the law, Lysander snd Hermia run away into the woods with Demetrius and Helena chasing them. But the fairies mess up the lover's love and have the two men love Helena. The fairies realize their mistakes and change everything back to normal and everything is god again and the twi couples get married. When watching the play, I enjoyed watching Matt play Flute, Thisbe, and Lysander because it was very funny seeing a man play as a woman and how he used his voice to try to imitate a woman. A technical thing I liked about the play was the costumes helped define the characters better because they all had more than one role and so the costumes helped define the characters. Especially when the fairies and humans were mixed together. Something that I think could have made the play more clear is adding scenery. If we did not know what happens in the play, it is hard to pick up that everyone ends up running into the woods at night so it may be confusing. I think the play was very good and should be watched by next year's 8th graders.
Dancing fairies, love potions, transforming a person into an animal: most of these happen in a fantasy is exactly what happens in the play A Midsummers Night Dream, by William Shakespeare. When I first saw this play live in the auditorium, I felt as if I was embedded into the story, that I was actually in the forest, which was where most of the scene took place. It was thrilling and exciting, and the actors and actresses presented the play passionately. However, every single person has a favorite role/roles they saw. For me, it was Nick Bottom and Demetrius, which was played by Sam. Personally, I liked how Sam was totally into character and didn't laugh when he was wrestling with Lysander. When Sam slide across the stage, I was laughing my head off, for it somewhat reminded me of a penguin. Plus, his voice and postures changes showed the arrogance of Nick and how annoyed Demetrius was with Helena at certain points of the play. However, every single person has a favorite role/roles they saw. For me, it was Nick Bottom and Demetrius, which was played by Sam. Personally, I liked how Sam was totally into character and didn't laugh when he was wrestling with Lysander. When Sam slide across the stage, I was laughing my head off, for it somewhat reminded me of a penguin. Plus, his voice and postures changes showed the arrogance of Nick and how annoyed Demetrius was with Helena at certain points of the play. Now, for the set. I wished that they actually had more background music with some props. Sometimes, I got a little bored since there as the really much to look at. It was hard to hear the actors and actresses at times, so I sometimes got confused. Plus, when Bottom wore the donkey head, I didn't hear anything he was saying. Also, I think that if they had some sort of mic in front, the actors wouldn't have to yell as much. The yelling lessened the emotion in the character's voice. Overall, I really enjoyed this play. Keep up the good work and continue to follow your dreams for acting!
ReplyDeleteThe play A Midsummer Night's Dream was very engaging and throughout the entire course of the play I forgot they were acting. I saw the play on May 23rd in my school auditorium. One actor in the play was Tammy, who played Puck. She was very humorous and I never got bored when she played one of her parts. Her body posture constantly caught my eye, and I always laughed. Furthermore, sometimes she ran through the audience and startled people. I enjoyed the costumes. The costumes truly conveyed the personality of the characters—for example, Tammy wore a cheetah costume that was mostly ripped to show her unusually crazy personality. I didn't like the sounds. When Oberon and Titania were fighting, the wind noises in the background didn't show how angry they both were at each other, it just confused the audience through the argument. Overall, the production was very amusing and entertaining. Check out Shakespeare professional acting companies online to see a mind-blowing performance today!
ReplyDeleteShakespeare Now's portrayal of A Midsummer Night's Dream at Oak Middle School in Shrewsbury, like all portrayals of this play, adapted parts of it so their portrayal can be effective in how it tells the story. But how good was the performance of this romantic comedy? Firstly, the actors in the play played great parts, with my favorite being the actor who did the portrayal of Nick Bottom. His use of voice and posture made for a great portrayal of Nick Bottom's showy personality, as well as making the audience have a good laugh. Secondly, the sound effects that were heard during the play added tension and made the audience have a sense of what was going on in the play. However, there are no props other than clothes in the play, which takes away from the atmosphere. Despite this, I still think that this performance had an outstanding execution, with great portrayals of characters to give the audience a good laugh. If Shakespeare Now comes to your school, you should look forward to it.
ReplyDeleteEver wondered what it was like to witness a Shakespeare play in the flesh? After watching Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a middle school auditorium, it is clear that Shakespeare fans must truly enjoy not only the conflict and resolution between four young lovers, but also a portrayal of a relatable fantasy in which a member of a couple resorts to manipulative unorthodox methods to resolve a quarrel to their favor. Additionally, a conceited actor shows off to other actors of the cast in a play, only to be taught a lesson by a mischievous bystander. A particularly outstanding actress, known as Tammy by her coworkers, and Puck/Egeus by the audience, successfully portrayed the mischievous aspect of one of her characters through humor and expression. Throughout the performance, Tammy continued to depict her confidence, which helped the audience better comprehend her character. While specific scenes had to be cut from the performance due to lack of time, the sound design of the play was able to make up for it on multiple occasions, such as the subtle thunder sound effects used to show the audience the part of the play in which nature is affected by the conflict between two characters. Furthermore, these sound effects added to the already attention-capturing excitement of the performance, creating a kind of irreplaceable entertainment. However, the lack of scenery in the set, although it was very much like that of the play’s time period, made it less interesting and slightly difficult to comprehend where the scene was taking place. Overall, the production was a dramatic success, and if someone decides to go and see it, they should be prepared to be blown away.
ReplyDeleteShakespeare is considered one of the greatest play writer of all time, so it was nice to see Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream performed for Oak Middle School by Shakespeare Now. This play begins with Hermia wanting to marry Lysander, but her father wants Hermia to marry Demetrius and Hermia's friend Helena wants to marry Demetrius. In the end, Hermia and Lysander end up getting married along with Helena and Demetrius. One of the actors, who's name is Sam, played both Demetrius and Nick Bottom. I enjoyed his performance of both Demetrius and Bottom because of the way he made his characters seem real through the use of voice and body motions. In one part of the performance, Demetrius and Lysander were wrestling, and it didn't seem like a scripted event. I enjoyed the sound design of the performance, especially the thunder during Titania and Oberon's argument. It emphasized the tension between the two characters. I feel that the set design could use a bit of work, because it was a bit confusing for people who have never read A Midsummer Night's Dream before to know where the scenes took place. I feel that the group Shakespeare Now did a very good job of performing A Midsummer Night's Dream, and if they ever come to your school, it will definitely be a fun experience.
ReplyDeleteWe saw a Midsummer Night's Dream written by William Shakespeare today. This play was shown in our auditorium from 9:00AM-10:30AM. This play shows how love can be hard sometimes by showing a romantic comedy about 4 lovers who face many challenges while fairies mess it up, many actors putting together a play.Don't miss the opportunity to watch the play if they come to your school! This play contained 6 actors, and they played multiple parts (about 3). An actor that I really admired in the play was the person who played Hermia. I think she brought out her roles very well and you could tell that she was actually acting, not just saying her lines because she has to. You could tell that she was very into her character and I loved how she was very expressive. Coming to a technical element I liked their costumes, especially how they managed to switch characters and costumes so fast. You couldn't even tell that the same person was playing another character. On the other hand, one thing I didn't find so impressive was the lighting. They should have dimmed the audience and focused the spotlight more on the actors. I feel that maybe if they did that, it would have been easier to understand the play. They also didn't have that much scenery, so unless you have some background knowledge of the play, you couldn't tell what was going on. Overall, I did enjoy the production. The actors made the play very eye-catching and capturing to the audience and interacted with the audience members very well. This is a must-watch, don't miss out!
ReplyDeleteStudents in eighth grade at Oak Middle School watched a Shakespearean play, A Midsummer Night's Dream on May 23rd. In our opinion, Tami was the best overall actor. She played the parts of Puck, Egeus and Starveling. She was very vocal, loud and it fit her characters behaviors perfectly. The costumes made the characters stick out more and because the actors play more than one part it helps divide the acts and it makes it easier to tell who is who. Also, the sound effects helps set the setting and tells the audience the theme. We didn't like the actress that played Hermia because when she played the part of another character the change was not dramatic enough. Which confused the audience on what character she was playing. We liked this play, but it wasn't really in a modern statistic which I believe makes it hard to comprehend more in this day and age. They are now on tour and if you're reading the book A Midsummer Night's Dream, we highly recommend that you see this play. Not only does it give you a visual, it makes it ten times more understandable when you are reading.
ReplyDeleteWritten by Helena DeMartin and Jessica Gillis
ReplyDeleteI saw A Midsummer's Night Dream. I saw the play today 5/23. I saw it in an auditorium in Oak middle school. It was about how true love never ran smooth, where the four lover's love was changed and mixed. The actors name was Tammy who played Puck. What I enjoyed was that she used items from the audience for her character. Her body language kept to her character of Puck and helped the reader what was going on making the play what it was in the scene. I like the sound, for it have emphases to important events that happened within the play. I enjoyed it because it gave a setting which developed the overall performance. What I did not like in the play was the lighting. I did not enjoy it because the lighting was kept the same when there were times of night and day. This made the setting difficult to understand, for people who are knew to Shakespeare. Even though the play had its drawbacks, it was a great performance and the acting was well done. The play I saw had scenes cut out, however when you see it you will get all of the scenes. This play is worth the money, and you will expect a humorous, and joyful time.
ReplyDeleteHilarious, dramatic, and touching, A Midsummer Night's Dream, by William Shakespeare, is a romantic comedy with four lovers who are in a tangled mess—all because of one mischievous fairy. I attended Shakespeare Now's performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream on May 23, 2016, from 9:00-10:30 AM at Oak Middle School. Even though all of the actors performed well, I thought that Danny, who played Hermia, Snout the Wall, and the Fairy, did an exceptional job. She utilized vocal variety and body language to make the performance engaging and entertaining; the passion in her face and her gestures (especially when she is looking for Lysander) is apparent. In addition, a technical aspect I enjoyed was the costumes. They really reflect the different characters and their statuses, and I thought it was clever that Helena had a pink skirt and Demetrius had a pink vest, giving a visual clue about how they were "meant to be" (although I'm not sure this was intentional). However, I believe that if Nathan, who played Oberon, Theseus, and Peter Quince, improved his acting, the play would be better. Nathan's voice was not as varied as some of the other actors, and at some points he did not project, making it hard to hear what he is saying. Moreover, each of the characters he played seemed similar, although they are not supposed to be. In general, Shakespeare Now's edition of A Midsummer Night's Dream was very humorous and interactive. If interested in watching their performances, they will be performing A Midsummer Night's Dream in schools from March 14 to June 2016.
ReplyDeleteThis morning at my school, I saw the play A Midsummer Night's Dream performed by Shakespeare Now. This is a a dramatic play about three stories that come together at the end. The first story is about four lovers, the second is about fairies who live in the woods, and the third is about actors who want to put on a play at the royal wedding. In the end, the four lovers end up with the right person, the king and queen of fairies stop fighting and the actors put on their play. then everyone falls asleep. An actor I really liked in this play is Tammy. She played Puck, the servant of the fairy king Oberon. She was really outgoing during her parts and used her voice for hilarious sound effects which made for a very entertaining show. The sound effects such as the thunder, really added to the drama. They also made it so I knew when the flower oil was being poured on the characters eyes, which made them fall in love. I did not like the lighting of this show. The lighting always stayed the same which took away from the drama and the mood because there was always the same light even when a sad or angry scene came on. Overall I enjoyed this play because it was very entertaining and related well to the foolishness of people when they experience love.
ReplyDeleteOn May twenty third, one of Shakespeare's most famous, comedic, romantic, and intriguing plays was performed in the oak middle school auditorium. The play is about four people, all in a convoluted love rectangle. Two people, Hermia and Lysander, are in love, and are forbidden to get married, so they decide to head to the forest. Meanwhile, Demetrius also loves Hermia, but Helena loves Demitrius. They go through a serious of unfortunate events such as a fairy drugging the wrong person. It then becomes up to a fairy named puck to set things strait with the four lovers. The actor named Tammy played Puck, Oberan's servant. Their performance was very engaging with the audience by interacting with them, running up and down the aisle, and talking in a loud, and amusing voice. They helped develop their character through their string use of body language, including hand motions, and lots of movement, which helped convey the characters personality. They also used a loud and playful voice which helped show the audience how jumpy and entertaining puck is. Her body language and playful voice helped show the audience the characters personality, which helped people understand the character much better. Because there was little to no props, and very little lighting, it became dull at some points of the performance. But this also made it easier to do use on the acting and the plot of the play. I didn't like that there was no props and lighting because it became boring at times, and took away from the understanding of the play. I thought the play was ok overall. The acting was good and it was easier to understand than the book, but because there was no props or lighting, it became boring near the end.
ReplyDeleteShakespeare, arguably one of the most iconic and legendary writers of all time, wrote many plays during his lifetime—such as “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”. “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” is a romantic comedy that follows three storylines, in which they eventually get intertwined with each other. On May 22, 2016, my grade was given the opportunity to experience a live performance of “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” done by an acting company called ‘Shakespeare Now’. Overall, the play was enjoyable with decent acting, however one actress in particular was my personal favorite—Tammy. Tammy took on many roles, with the most contrasting being Robin Goodfellow (Puck) and Egeus. She was able to accurately convey Egeus’s anger and assertiveness, as well as Puck’s bubbly and mischievous persona without breaking character between scenes. In contrast, however, Danny was my least favorite actress. Besides playing Hermia, she played many minor roles as well. In my opinion, her portrayal of Hermia was very weak as she failed to present the emotion of sadness and agony when Lysander began pursuing Helena, and instead only displayed anger and snobbishness. And although she played minor roles aside from Hermia, those minor roles began to merge with ‘Hermia’, making it difficult to differentiate the characters from each other at times. Besides the acting, I really enjoyed the minimal props and costumes because it allowed the audience to focus on the play and storyline, enabling the reader to have a deeper understanding of the theme, and also had the acting quality stand out more prominently. All in all, Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer’s Night Dream’ done by ‘Shakespeare Now’ is an enjoyable play and experience, however may only stand as a one-time experience as it may seem outdated and unappealing to our modern tastes.
ReplyDeleteShakespeare play. A midsummer nights dream on May 23, 2016. Daniele played hermia and she was a very good actress, who did a great job playing her part. The costumes really made the play and made it easy for the audience to know who was playing who. I didn't like how it ran on forever and the dude kissed two girls. Overall, it was very good and fun to watch. I recommend watching with someone who doesn't talk a lot.
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ReplyDeleteToday I saw a play about A Midsummers Night Dream by William Shakespeare. One of the actors in the play named Sam played Demetrius and Bottom, he made the play feel serious by having good posture and making the play look correct. But in throughout the play none of the actors were extremely loud, and I had problems hearing what was happening. Another part of the play that I enjoyed, was the lighting because it was good and I didn't have any problems seeing the play. Although I did not like the play, that doesn't mean it was completely bad, there was many parts during the play that are funny. In my opinion it is a very long play and it is easy to get bored during it, and I would not recommend this play
I saw a lot of violence but that created enjoyment
ReplyDeleteI saw a lot of it when Demetrius, Lysander, Hermia and Helena were all fighting, right smack in the middle of the stage. This is what made this play great:your acting skills.One aspect that stood out was my favorite character. Character that stood out to me:Name:Mack Character played:Lysander.They memorized their lines first so they could improve on other things as well. He said it really helped him be able to act out and not laugh in the audience, same with Demetrius. Technological aspect: No lighting a lot of costumes.The costumes made things a lot less confusing who was who. I did not need to crush my brain, I knew straight away which person played which part. What I did not like,Nick bottom
Just blabbing off the play about Pyramus. You guys really acted out but I though his part was very boring.
It like sucked all the excitement out of me
From a scale of 1-5 I would actually give u a 5. You'd get a 5+ if nick bottom blabbed off less.
If you plan to perform this again, summarize nick bottoms part!
GREAT JOB!!😀😀😀😀.
The set design was just the stage it's self, not backdrops, special lighting, and sometimes broke the fourth wall. In my perspective there was no costume designer, each actor had to dress themselves, and I'm sure they had their own costumes organized for themselves. Theseus wore a gold crown, and a golden sash, Hippolyta also woe the same thing. Hermia wore a black top with sleeves and a long blue skirt. Helena wore a black top with sleeves and wore a long pink skirt. Lysander wore all black with a turquoise vest. Demetrius wore all black and a magenta vest. Egeus wore a dark blue hat and robes in satin. Nick bottom, Peter quince, Francis flute, Tom snout, and Snug all wore lower class clothes like brown, tan, yellow, and other colors like that. Puck, Oberon, Titania, wore metallic clothes in ren, brown, yellow, and other forestry colors that make them look like faires.hting design I could say was done fairly poorly, I know that the actors had to run up and down the aisle, but it sorta breaks the fourth wall in the rule of acting. The lights stayed the same and they didn't follow just one person, they stayed on the whole time, and there was no color added to the lights if there was a climax coming like for example for a death the lights could get red. Sound design was pretty good, considering the scene where Oberon and Titania were fighting they used some type of sheet of metal to make the thunder sounds, and some type of sand to make the sound of the rain. When Oberon and Puck out the flower juice into the eyes of people, they ,add a sound that sounded like drops or some type of rattle. For me I thought that all of the actors were the directors, because they didn't seem to have one, and I think they help each other out like a team to make the play well a play. The director did a very nice job on the scenes. The actors were good too, I think Tammy did a nice job putting the image of puck to be a trouble maker. I think on a scale of 1-10 I would rate this play as a 6 because, even though they were great, it would be interesting to see a backdrop, lighting could be a little more different than just having it stay on the whole time, like when the characters run down they could do a small spot light if there was a bigger stage, and maybe try to add more detail into the costumes even though this play is supposed to be a simple on and not spend too much money on it, it's just my opinion.
ReplyDeleteHaleema Siddiqui and Jahniya Watson
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A Midsummer Nights Dream is a play that shows how confusing and random love is with fairies and magic potion. When two lovers flee to the woods because the one of their fathers does not want them to be together, King Oberon and Puck are sure to meddle with them. Demetrius and neglected Helena are also intertwined into the story by mischievous Puck. The common men from the town practice their play and find themselves pulled into the story by Puck's mischievous doings. The set design could have improved, since there were no props on the stage. There was nothing to help us visualize the setting. It was confusing at times when you couldn't understand a certain part. For example, when Oberon is eavesdropping on Demetrius and Helena, it took a second to realize that Oberon was hiding behind a tree. It would have been helpful if there was something there. We understand that the characters need clothing that is quick to change in and out of, but it didn't seem right sometimes. Helena and Hermia are dressed in simple skirts, making them look like common people, but they speak in poetry, so they are supposed to be wealthy. It would help if the skirts were fancier. Hippolyta could have been more fancy as well. The lighting was fine, it shone right on the stage. It was constant for the whole play, though. It could be more enticing and dramatic if the light dimmed and brightened at times. If they added some props, the lighting could dim when they are moving the props. When people were laughing, it was really hard to hear the actors. If they had those clip on speakers or the microphones that are attached to their face that were louder, it would be easier to understand them. When there is thunder during Oberon and Titania's argument, it could be accentuated at the times that are more angry and loud. The director did a good job showing the characters personalities. The pda added humor and it brought a reaction from the audience, which is always important in theater. I think that Sarah should have been Hermia and Helena should have been Danny. It just makes more sense, I guess, and they would look more the part. I love how they made Hermia a brat and Helena so confused, it was really funny! Overall, the play was fun and interesting to watch, and it is truly and experience we would not forget. It would be so much better with the changes we thought of above.
Anjali and Kendall
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A Midsummer Night's Dream was a thrilling play about how love nas obstacles that can be overcome. We saw the play at Oak Middle School on May 23, 2016. A Midsummer Night's Dream was about four characters who all have complicated relationships together. The play continues with towns people and magical characters who get integrated into the lives of the mortal charcters who are in love with one another. Tammy, one of the actresses in the play, had the roles of Puck, Egeus, and one of the townspeople. Her performance was enjoyable because it was full of energy and she never broke out of her character. She put in all of her effort into each line and scene. Tammy used her body language and facial expressions to portray her character. She made funny faces to show the reactions of her characters. She also made gestures and used her body to emphasize the personalities of her characters. When she played one character, she had a specific kind of walk for that character. By changing her walk for her different characters, it was easy to distinguish who she was playing. The costumes was a technical aspect we enjoyed. It made it easy to distinguish who was who. They had simple costumes over a completely black outfits which made it easy for them to change. An actor that wasn't as great as the others was Nathan. He played Oberon, Theseus, and Peter Quince. We didn't enjoy how he didn't have as much emotion or make his characters distinguishable enough. He spoke the same way for every character he played. Overall, it was a good production. If you go, be ready for a good laugh and interactive production.
Andrew Kerekon and Akshay Dupuguntla
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What is the best romantic comedy you've ever seen? Chances are, it was written by William Shakespeare. On May 23rd, we saw A Midsummer Night's Dream, our favorite romantic comedy. It was performed at Oak Middle School in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. The play is about two couples, one couple who doesn't love each other, and one who does. They go through a series of events that change how they think about one another. An actor we loved was Puck. We enjoyed how realistic and funny the actor was in her movements. After all, Puck is a mischievous fairy servant. One technical aspect that we liked in the play was the costumes. We felt that the costumes made the characters believable and helped to develop their characters. One thing we didn't enjoy was the set. There weren't any props or backdrops, so it was hard to tell where the characters were, and made the setting confusing. Without a good set, the setting was the same throughout the play. Overall, the play was enjoyable. Even though there were only six actors, they all performed well in their many roles. If you get a chance to see it, see it! It's a great experience!
Today I saw the play of the mid Summer's night dream, my thoughts are a little mixed about this play. Some parts of the play are really good and have good emotion but some parts where weak and had no emotion. I thought that is was cool how only 6 characters played all the parts. My favorite person was Tamil who played puck she was great, I thought she was funny and she kept everyone in gaged with the play. I liked the sound that they made with the thunder to add the angry part to the room and it sounded cool. I thought the lack of setting was really effecting the play. Overall, the play was good and the actors where good.
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ReplyDeleteImagine being stuck in a love triangle, loving someone but they don't love you back. This is one case in the Shakespeare's play "A Midsummer Night's Dream". This play was depicted at Oak Middle School, where we saw Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius and Helena twisted in a love triangle. We also saw that Oberon and Titania argue over a child, and saw that they made Demetrius love Helena and Lysander love Hermia so that everyone was happy. Bottom and his squad presented a play for Hippolyta and Theseus. The actor who played Bottom presented his character very well, because he acted foolish and full of himself. His body posture helped him portray the character. The sound was created from behind the curtain and added mood to the play, creating suspense and a sense of reality. The lighting did not do much because it didn't change and added no affect to the play. A special feeling can be added by the lighting however it was not in this play. I think it was a good overall play with very few flaws. They come to schools and present this pretty good play for free.
Kevin and Leo
Today I saw the play A Midsummer Night's Dream during school. The play told of Lysander and Hermia, two lovers who try to escape the city of Athens because Hermia's father wants her to marry Demetrius, another man who left his girlfriend Helena for Hermia. Hermia and Lysander's escape is screwed up by a fairy named Robin who makes a mistake when trying to help Helena get Demetrius back and charms Lysander to lover Hermia, and hilarity ensues from there. The actors did a good job of representing the characters, especially the actress named Robin, she represented him as a funny, tricky servant of the fairy King, just as he actual play shows. Her body language showed that Robin was a hyper and funny fairy who likes to dance as expressed by the actress. The costumes were simple though they clearly pointed out each character differently. For instance, the four lovers all have a different color clothing on to help the audience tell them apart. There was little lighting and effects. Although there was few sound effects made to signify when a spell was being placed on someone, there really wasn't anything else. We watched the play with all e lights on, there wasn't any lighting to add to the play. As for setting, there was no set or background that made it hard to comprehend where they were. In conclusion, the way the performers preformed a mid summer night's dream made it easy to differentiate the characters and made it funny and actually entertaining to watch, it needs a little more setting and lighting in order to make it perfect.
ReplyDeleteThey play A Mid Summers Night Dream was preformed at 9:50 at oak middle school's auditorium by shakespeare now. The play was about four lovers three fairies and six actors. the four lovers were in love with the wrong people throughout the play, the three fairies are messing with both the actors and the lovers. At the end of the play the fairies stop messing the the lovers and the actors, the lovers end up loving the correct people and the actors preform the play. The character Hermia was played by Dannie the performance of that character was realistic and what people would imagine the character. Dannie used her body language and her voice tone to really show off the character. This helped make the play more realistic and that we were really looking at Hermia and what she would do say and act. The way the costumes were used helped the play's atmosphere. You can tell who was the different character because all actors played different characters. This helped with confusion and who was who in the play. It helped when it was transitioning into either the fairies the actors or the lovers. Sadly, the play did not use any sets. They had to rely on themselves to try and make the play less confusing. This took away some of the feel that your actually there and not people just reading on a stage. If there were sets then the performance would be better. Overall, they play was great and really helped people see the book come to life. It has an interactive audience at some points that made people have a lot of fun. The next time they are preforming is at 5/23/17 at Oak middle school auditorium at 9:50 AM.
ReplyDeleteI saw the play of a Midsummers Night Dream at Oak Middle School. It was performed by a 6 man acting group. 3 guys and 3 women. They shortened the play to 1 hour. Lysander, Hermia, Helena, Puck, the actors, bottom, thesius and his wife, some fairies, and the king and queen were all played. I liked the girl who played puck. She had good body movement and she had her lines greatly memorized. She was aloe very interactive with the audience. They had good costumes but their lighting wasn't very great. I would like maybe to hear them louder maybe with mikes. Overall I love the play and thought it was veryyyyyy funny. It helped me get an awesome overview of the whole play.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the production of Midsummer Night's Dream was well executed. I liked that the costume changes were quick and significant, and there was an outfit for each character. I believe that the actors played each part very well. I found it easy to understand the lines, even when it was odd wording. The cast clearly understood what they were saying and loved what they are doing. They made the play much more interesting then I thought it could be. I was very impressed by the the blocking in each scene, it seemed no one was out of place. Nobody upstaged anyone, and I could hear most lines clearly. Except, I couldn't hear Sam/Bottom while wearing the donkey head, which I understand. I like how the relationships between them felt so real. I didn't enjoy how the lights were on in the audience. Though it was so we could see when actors were running through aisles or jumped offstage, I think it would've been more like a real performance if it had been dark. There wasn't a actor I didn't like. Overall, I think this production was a joy to see, and I found it interesting to watch.
ReplyDeleteI had the oppurtunity to see Shakesperes "A Midsummers Nights Dream" in person. This is one of the best Shakespere plays I have ever seen. Overall, the actors did a very good job of bringing Shakesperes "A Midsummers Night's Dream" to life. The love triangle between Lysander, Demetrius, Helena, and hermia was shown during this. My favorite actor was Tammy, and she mainly played Puck. She used her body language and facial expressions to suck in the audience and make all of us laugh. The way she changed her voice to fit the character made the play so much more enjoyable. I liked the costumes that the characters wore. I enjoyed this because it helped me see that the characters really got into character and it made the story more realistic. This added a sense of realism and fun to the play. The one thing I didn't like about the play was the lighting. I didn't like how the lights were turned on the entire time. I think it would have been better if there was a spotlight and a lighting crew. Overall, I liked the play. Even though there were some aspects that were missing, the characters attitudes and how they could make me laugh made up for it. The play is around 1 hour and 30 minutes long. The characters there work very well together and make sure to integrate the audience into the play. I was very impressed with the people.
ReplyDeleteI saw a play on a midsummers night dream. I saw it at school and it was five minutes ago. The play was about 4 lovers and the actors and Oberon and Titania. They all end up interfering with each other's plan. Sam played Demetrius and Nick bottom. I liked his character because he was funny and he wanted to take every part in the play. Their body posture was key to their performance. It made emotion. I like the sounds that made when it was thundering out. It added volume to the performance. Overall the play was really good it had great characters and it was realistic to the time period.
ReplyDeleteIn the play," A Midsummer Nights Dream" I saw, a play with three different parts the fairies, actors, and lovers. The fairy King and Queen were fighting over a child that the queen had. The king wanted it but wouldn't give it to him. The actors were rehearsing to make a play for the duke and duchess's wedding. Bottom wanted to play every role and he was turned into a donkey by puck. The lovers were on a wild chase for each other. My favorite actor in the play was Sam, played Demetrius, Bottom, and Pyramus. I really enjoyed the way he projected his voice and how he stayed in character the whole entire play. He also used his voice to project it through the audience. I really enjoyed the sound. The sound director made the aspect of suspense, humor, and happiness. The sound helped portray the feelings that the actor tried to show when they were in character. I liked the way it helped the play as a whole. I didn't like the lighting. It was always bright so I thought when it was night it should be dark and it just stayed light. Overall, I thought that the whole production was really good and it portrayed the book exactly what I would think it would be like. It also had a nice modern twist to it.
ReplyDeleteVery few actors are able to capture Shakespeares plays correctly. However this particular acting company executed the play correctly. The actors used body movment to exaggerate certain parts wich created a thrilling and more funny experince. Howvere one issue i had with the play was hermias depiction. She seemed winy and i disliked her character almost immediently
ReplyDeleteIt is the play that will be remembered forever. On May 23, 2016, the eighth grade at Oak Middle School saw the play, A Midsummer Night's Dream in their auditorium. The play, by William Shakespeare, follows four young people, Hermia, Lysander, Helena, and Demitrius. Demitrius and Hermia are betrothed to each other. Unfortunately, Hermia loves Lysander, not Demitrius. And Helena loves Demetrius, who is completely uninterested. Overall, the best performance was by Tammy. She portrayed the character "Puck" very well, as well as the other characters. She had very distinct ways of creating each role. The costumes were not the best quality but they needed to be simple seeing how the actors played different roles. This means that they needed to change quickly from scene to scene. Overall, none of the technical aspects were very impressive. The actress that played Hermia took the character in a different direction. She made Hermia a little more on the spoiled brat side which made Hermia not the most likable character. Overall I was expecting a little more from the performance, especially from the set and lighting design. However, the acting was exceptional and enjoyable to watch.
ReplyDeletei saw a midsummer nights dream today at the oak middle school auditorium. There were 6 actors who each played multiple parts in shakespeare's a midsummer nights dream. i think the actor for puck was good because she was very active while she was acting and it made the play a lot more playful. the costumes used in the play were good because they looked easy to change out of and also they looked very good and the costumes looked like something the characters would wear. i didn't like the sets because it made it a lot harder to understand what was going on.
ReplyDeletei thought the play was high quality and the actors were very easy to understand so i would recommend seeing it.
The day we watched a Midsummers night dream by Shakespeare . It was a true love story with lots of challenges . The characters kept their act well. I enjoyed how the characters got into the scenes and they didn't break the fourth wall. I especially thought it was cool when they went into the audience
ReplyDeleteDuring the play A Midsummers Nights Dream, the play came to life more than or did when I started to read the book. The actors did a great job portraying the characters they were playing at certain parts (because they all played at least 2 characters). The actors who played Demetrious and Lysander did a great job especially during the fight scene. They were able to keep straight faces while everyone else was laughing. The actresses who played Helena and Hermia did the same also. There were some things i would fix about the preformance however. Yes i understand it is in a school auditorium and the transitions were quick but they had no set and without that at times i forgot where they even were. The actor who played Bottom i think needs to speak up more especially when he has the head of an ass on his body. Because of the head it made what he was saying a little unclear at times. The actress who played Puck was most likely my favorite because yes she broke the fourth wall but it made the play way more entertaining.
ReplyDeleteA midsummer nights dream, it is a play about the course of love. These 4 lovers go through a long and tiring path to true love. Fairies and other things causing them to change opinions and fall in love all over again. Sarah, played the parts of Helena, Titiana, the lion, and Hippolyta. I enjoyed how involved she was in her character. She did a great Jonah of making her character come to life and show exactly what she was like in the original story. She used a lot of body language, like pacing and hand motions. And thus helped her make her character more animated. The sound effects were very creative, they used flimsy metal to make thunder, and a rain stick, and clappers. They gave the play a little bit of sound.
ReplyDeleteI didn't like how the lights were on the whole time. It would have been better with special lighting, like spotlights. It caused it to be a little bit more boring. I think the production was very well done, and really brought Shakespeare's writing to life.
A play, written in 1596 by William Shakespeare, and presented hilariously, dramatically, and realistically by Shakespeare Now on May 23, 2016 was definitely A Midsummer Night's Dream. This comedy was presented in Oak Middle School, and is basically when four lovers mix up their feelings about each other because of a magical fairy and magic. Tammy was my favorite actor because she had great emotion and brought life into the characters that she played. Tammy played Puck, Robin Starveling, and Egus, and had a great loud voice and a fantastic body language. She gave the each of her characters a distinct personality. To make the play seem more realistic and dramatic, the costumes and sound pitched in. The costumes helped to show a character change, and the sound helped to give a feel as to what was happening. Although, the sound could have been a bit more realistic sounding, but mainly the lighting and the stage set could've made the play better. It was hard to see the difference between scenes and background (from the palace to the forest, from day to night), and the lighting and the props obviously can make that confusion disappear. Other than that, I enjoyed the play a lot! All the characters were energetic, enthusiastic, and actually became their character. If Shakespeare Now comes to you, trust me, you will enjoy it a lot.
ReplyDeleteElias and Steven
ReplyDeleteToday at Oak Middle School the 8th grade students saw the performance of the classic play by William Shakespeare "Mid Summer Night Dream". The story is a very confusing and complex love story with 4 characters seeking true love. But for a play that was written many years ago it still will make people laugh and have a good time. The company that preformed the play stated that they put around 6 weeks of training just for this play and it looks like all the training payed off well, all actors where very good and well trained but one really stood out from the others, his name was Sam, he played Demetrius, Nick Bottom, and Pyramus, he played all characters well and was very enthusiastic, Sam played all three roles with the same amount of effort and charisma creating a very nice play. One aspect of the play that grab our attention was the sound affects, the sound affects made the play seem a lot more interesting and added a lot more excitement. The play had no props or great costumes but this is what it would have looked like back in Shakespeare time. But after hearing some feed back from people they said that the play did not grab their attention like the ones from the seventh grade. Although the play had some good and bad parts I would give it a 8/10. The reason is because it was interesting but confusing at times and the lack emotion in the play also had a huge role in why I gave it an 8/10.
Today, May 23rd, at 9:07 am until 10:20 am, in the oak middle school auditorium the play a mid- summers night dream by shakespeare was performed for us. Do Shakespeare's words reach you emotionally, then this is the play for you! The play shows the struggle of lovers in their way to true love. One thing the actors did that really complimented a scene was when they added the thunder to Oberon and Titania conversation. It showed the feud and the drama going on between them. By far the best actor of the play was mack. One of the characters he played was lysander, but because he played more than one, he did a good job transitioning and showing the personality differences between characters. He was very good at keeping a 4th wall between him and his audience. His attitude and posture added to his acting. On the other hand, we did not like Dani, who played hermia and the fairy, she did not connect with the audience and change between characters very well. In conclusion, when performed by actors there are downfalls and positives to seeing the live play. ~Gianna and Erin
ReplyDeleteOn May 23rd, 2016 at 9:00 AM, the eighth grade class at Oak Middle School welcomed the Shakespeare Now theater group to perform A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. This play is a romantic comedy about four confused lovers, some mischievous fairies, and the Athenian duke's wedding. All of the actors did an exceptional job of portraying their characters, but there was one who stood out to us the most; her name was Dani and she played Hermia, Snout, and one of Titania's fairy servants. Throughout the play, she was expressive and appropriately dramatic, using her voice and body language to convey her characters' personalities and add spice and emotion to the overall performance. An additional aspect of the play that we enjoyed was the sound effects; we felt that their dramatic influence aided the audience's understanding of the setting and the scene's impact on the characters. Although most of the technical aspects of the performance were terrific, the lighting lacked in effectiveness. There was a single light setting throughout the play, making it hard for the audience to connect the scene that was being performed to its appropriate setting, especially if the viewers had no previous exposure to A Midsummer Night's Dream. Even though there were minor flaws in the performance, Shakespeare Now did an amazing job portraying Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. If you plan on watching this group perform, be ready for an unforgettable theatrical experience!
ReplyDelete- Fiona and Arushi
Today on May twenty-third, I saw a Midsummer nights dream by William Shakespeare. The main idea is about how 2 couples that want to marry, only to have the law stand in the way of their big days. The play was great, however it has some minor flaws. The plays humorous tone toward the audience and clear speaking made the play a must see by keeping the audience on the edge of their seat. The actor or actress who played puck, spoke lines with a humorous tone, and I can't even keep track of how many times I laughed during the play. Despite the humorous tone, the play had its flaws. Helena's character was extremely over dramatic, over Demetrius who she loves and half the time, she sounded like its the end of the world. Additionally, Hermia's character just sounded like a spoiled child, but her lines were humors compared to Helena's over dramatic lines which contain little to nothing when it comes to humor. The lighting and sound effects, really highlights the play and painted a picture in the audience's mind and people like my self really began to think they are in a jungle or forest. Beyond the shadow of doubt, plays have their ups and downs, but on a scale of 1-10 , this deserves a 9.5. The play's rich sophisticated tone and perfect blend of humor and lighting, made the play lifelike. However, certain lines were a bit too overdramatizing. Despite the rare instances of overdramatizing, the play over all is a must see even if Shakespeare is not your favorite.
ReplyDeleteToday at 9:00, I saw a play based on "A Midsummer Night's Dream". The play was shown in the oak school auditorium. The play is broken down into three different parts, the actors, the lovers and the fairies. However, the three different stories eventually intertwine together, and chaos occurs. But in the end, all the problems are resolved, and everything goes back to how it should be. I personally enjoyed how Matt acted onstage. He played the roles of Lysander, Francis Flute, and Thisbe. Matt was hilarious and he never broke his character while acting. He continued to express the certain traits of the characters he played. I think that he used emotion through his voice as a way to show the personality of the characters. Furthermore, I think that the sound effects were a technical aspect that helped enhance the overall performance. The use of thunder clearly showed the tension between Titania and Oberon and how it not only effected their relationship but everyone else around them. Moreover the bells showed that the fairies were magical and the actors stomped their feet while running to show how they were angry at someone/something. However, the set design and lighting of the play were not done very well in my opinion. In fact, it was very difficult to understand where the characters were. I think that the play director should have switched the lighting according to night and day, and used background images to convey the setting of the play more accurately. I understand that the director wanted to make the play with the aspects in Shakespeare's time, however the play is nowadays preformed for a modern audience. So, lighting and set design would make the play more interesting and appealing. All in all, I think that the production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" deserved four out of five stars. Even though there were some tweaks that I would have added to improve the play, I think that it was very nicely done. If you go to watch the play, make sure to come on May 23 to the oak auditorium. Also, make sure to arrive by 8:30 to get the best seats.
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ReplyDeleteShakespeare is a world famous playwright who wrote many plays such as A Midsummer's Night Dream. This play was preformed to us today by Shakespeare Now, a company who specializes in preforming plays written the bard. They had 6 actors who preformed the entire play by having the same person playing multiple roles. Due to the time constraint, they had to cut out many parts and some characters but the play still remains very good and had a lot of humor thrown in to it. The play starts with 4 lovers, Lysander, Hermia, Helena, and Demetrius. Lysander loves Hermia and vice versa but Hermia's father Egeus, wants his daughter to marry Demetrius who used to love Helena. To escape the law, Lysander snd Hermia run away into the woods with Demetrius and Helena chasing them. But the fairies mess up the lover's love and have the two men love Helena. The fairies realize their mistakes and change everything back to normal and everything is god again and the twi couples get married. When watching the play, I enjoyed watching Matt play Flute, Thisbe, and Lysander because it was very funny seeing a man play as a woman and how he used his voice to try to imitate a woman. A technical thing I liked about the play was the costumes helped define the characters better because they all had more than one role and so the costumes helped define the characters. Especially when the fairies and humans were mixed together. Something that I think could have made the play more clear is adding scenery. If we did not know what happens in the play, it is hard to pick up that everyone ends up running into the woods at night so it may be confusing. I think the play was very good and should be watched by next year's 8th graders.
Shakespeare is a world famous playwright who wrote many plays such as A Midsummer's Night Dream. This play was preformed to us today by Shakespeare Now, a company who specializes in preforming plays written the bard. They had 6 actors who preformed the entire play by having the same person playing multiple roles. Due to the time constraint, they had to cut out many parts and some characters but the play still remains very good and had a lot of humor thrown in to it. The play starts with 4 lovers, Lysander, Hermia, Helena, and Demetrius. Lysander loves Hermia and vice versa but Hermia's father Egeus, wants his daughter to marry Demetrius who used to love Helena. To escape the law, Lysander snd Hermia run away into the woods with Demetrius and Helena chasing them. But the fairies mess up the lover's love and have the two men love Helena. The fairies realize their mistakes and change everything back to normal and everything is god again and the twi couples get married. When watching the play, I enjoyed watching Matt play Flute, Thisbe, and Lysander because it was very funny seeing a man play as a woman and how he used his voice to try to imitate a woman. A technical thing I liked about the play was the costumes helped define the characters better because they all had more than one role and so the costumes helped define the characters. Especially when the fairies and humans were mixed together. Something that I think could have made the play more clear is adding scenery. If we did not know what happens in the play, it is hard to pick up that everyone ends up running into the woods at night so it may be confusing. I think the play was very good and should be watched by next year's 8th graders.