Directing is a scary job. You often need to go out on a limb and make a choice which is e a violent act (I think director Anne Bogart says that.) If that is the case, then there has been a lot of wonderful violence happening in fairyland these days. It has been my deep honor to return to this fascinating text with this stellar company for the past few weeks.
While on the surface, A Midsummer Night’s Dream could seem like one of Shakespeare’s more frivolous comedies however, there is truth, revelation and most of all growth for every character in the play. As I encounter the text every night in rehearsal, I find myself falling in love with fairyland. Within fairyland, chaos brings us to a new place—it is a rite of passage if you will.
This week, we have staged a lot of this chaos. Some notable accomplishments this week happened in the staging of the Lovers battle in Act 3 of the play. The tireless work of Kirin, Liz, Jon and Michael will be enjoyed by all when the play opens. Paul has found some scary interesting stuff playing Egeus. The fairy work from Sergio, Thomas, Derrick, Melissa, Tanya and Maria is nothing short of magical. Titania and Oberon have been certainly turning up the heat in front of the Babcock—Melora and Walter have given everything to these parts. Finally, creative electricity has come from both David and Natalie as the Fairy and Puck.
If there is a job description for a director I think it might be “meaning-maker.” Without a seasoned group of actors, any meaning I may try to convey with the text would be lost. This company has risen to the challenge again and again during this rehearsal process. I can hardly wait to get to rehearsal each night!!!!
-Ryan
P.S. If you’d like to see a sneak peak of MIDSUMMER, check us out at the Solstice Festival www.summersolsticefestival.com
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