Shakespeare’s classic comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream was brought to life at Sevenoaks by talented Year 9 and 10 actors this week in the Sackville Theatre. A play that initially seems as though it will follow the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, to Hippolyta, the former Queen of the Amazons, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is anything but, as it very rapidly decays into hilarious scenes of illusion, love and invisible fairies.
Sevenoaks School’s Mr Jim Grant masterfully directs the play, and exquisitely uses light and music to their full potential to amplify the standout performances from the cast. The clever use of lightbulbs and metal ladders acts as an entertaining and thought-provoking motif throughout the play, and allows the actors to establish some staggering effects on stage.
From creating the initial standoff between Titania and Oberon (Queen and King of the Fairies) to the lovers lost in the forests surrounding Athens, this device is highly impactful and weaves the play together, while constantly reminding the audience that what we are watching is just a play (another key motif) and being reminiscent of the rehearsing mechanicals who provide guaranteed laughter in their disastrous attempts to create a play to perform at the Royal Wedding.
With an impactful (and occasionally humorous!) soundscape scoring the play, composed by the Sevenoaks Music teachers, and high-quality performances all round, from the passion of the lovers to the mischief of the fairies, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is not to be missed.
James Armitage
