The "Other" Rich Folk

A Midsummer Night's Dream

While the lovers carried a third of the show, the other upper-class humans didn't have a lot of lines. Despite their lack of stage time, they were prominent members of society, and their roles were important to the plot. It was paramount that they have presence and be able to immediately convey who they were as individuals and as a class.

For Lord Theseus ("All hail! the LORD!" or at least, that's what he wanted us to believe) we found a sophomore who beautifully carried off the maturity, effortlessness, and confidence someone of his station should have. There was something stern, yet casual, about his bearing that made it clear this man was every bit as comfortable in the courtroom as he was in the forest with his hunting hounds.

In Egeus, we needed an angry, disapproving father, but we also wanted him to be a sympathetic character. We called on a group regular who had played Shylocke in "The Merchant of Venice" and MacDuff in "MacBeth" to bring the same sort of weight to the role.

Hipployta was an interesting role to cast. We found two actresses who seemed mature beyond their years, and as luck would have it, this show has a queen of the fairies and a queen of the humans. To make our jobs even easier, one requested a smaller role, so we plugged her in as Hippolyta, and she delivered with timeless charm, poise, and an undeniable queenliness.

For Philostrate, we could have put just about anybody in and they would have done fine. We didn't have to settle for just anybody. There was a group regular who had a certain elegance and class in her bearing, mixed with a quiet warmth that made her perfect for the role.

When it came time for costuming, we put both of the guys in borrowed tuxes, and called them done. When our Theseus brought in a gray jacket he thought might be fitting for the hunt scene towards the end, I told him go for it. (Who am I to disagree with The LORD?)

For Hippolyta, we followed the same formula as Hermia's peach dress. Table cloths and curtains, a basic dress pattern and some creativity, a shawl swapping out for a suit coat, and we had a queen on our hands.

Philostrate was another easy costuming project, as she wore the same size as my co-director's mother, who is heavily into theatre and historical reenactments. Philostrate may be the most historically accurate character of the show.

We also wanted to add a few servants to Theseus' house. Three young ladies came along who enthusiastically took on the challenge of bringing silent characters to life. At performance time there was no question who Hippolyta was conferring with: the temperamental wedding planner, the surly mistress of kitchens, and the lowly peon, torn between obeying the higher level servants.

All of the rich human characters worked together flawlessly to establish a mood, a superiority, and a sturdiness which allowed the mechanicals, and especially the fairies, their flamboyance. While never lacking in humor or intensity, they were the solid base which made the rest of the show sing. The fact that most of their scenes took place in front of a black curtain not only allowed, but commanded, their performances to shine. Their well established characters, strong expressions, and clarity of emotion drew the audience in and made them easy to identify with.

Photography in this entry by James Ratchfor, Zachary Garber, and Molly Wilson