Whittier
College Theatre and Communication Arts presents
A Midsummer Night's Dream
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Gil Gonzalez
March 10-14, 2010
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Lysander loves Hermia, and Hermia loves Lysander.
Helena loves Demetrius; Demetrius used to love Helena but now loves
Hermia. Egeus, Hermia's father, prefers Demetrius as a suitor, and
enlists the aid of Theseus, the Duke of Athens, to enforce his wishes
upon his daughter. According to Athenian law, Hermia is given four days
to choose between Demetrius, life in a nunnery, or a death sentence.
Hermia, ever defiant, chooses to escape with Lysander into the
surrounding forest.
Complications arise in the forest. Oberon and Titania, King and Queen of
Fairies, are locked in a dispute over a boy whom Titania has adopted.
Oberon instructs his servant Puck to bring him magic love drops, which
Oberon will sprinkle on the Queen's eyelids as she sleeps, whereupon
Titania will fall in love with the first creature she sees upon
awakening. Meanwhile, Helena and Demetrius have also fled into the woods
after Lysander and Hermia. Oberon, overhearing Demetrius's denouncement
of Helena, takes pity upon her and tells Puck to place the magic drops
upon the eyelids of Demetrius as well, so that Demetrius may fall in
love with Helena. Puck, however, makes the mistake of putting the drops
on the eyelids of Lysander instead. Helena stumbles over Lysander in the
forest, and the spell is cast; Lysander now desires Helena and renounces
a stunned Hermia.
In the midst of this chaos, a group of craftsmen are rehearsing for a
production of "Pyramus and Thisbe," to be played for the Duke at his
wedding. Puck impishly casts a spell on Bottom to give him the head of a
donkey. Bottom, as luck would have it, is the first thing Titania sees
when she awakens; hence, Bottom ends up being lavishly kept by the
Queen. Oberon enjoys this sport, but is less amused when it becomes
apparent that Puck has botched up the attempt to unite Demetrius and
Helena. Oberon himself anoints Demetrius with the love potion and
ensures that Helena is the first person he sees; however, Helena
understandably feels that she is now being mocked by both Demetrius and
Lysander (who is still magically enamored of her).
Finally, Oberon decides that all good sports must come to an end. He
puts the four lovers to sleep and gives Lysander the antidote for the
love potion so that he will love Hermia again when they all wake up.
Next, Oberon gives Titania the antidote, and the King and Queen
reconcile. Theseus and Hippolyta then discover Lysander, Hermia, Helena,
and Demetrius asleep in the forest. All return to Athens to make sense
of what they think is a strange dream. Likewise, Bottom returns to his
players, and they perform "Pyramus and Thisbe" at the wedding feast
(which has since become a wedding of three couples). As everyone
retires, fairies perform their blessings and Puck delivers a tender
epilogue soliloquy.
From www.bardweb.net.
