Schools
ARTech Presents Peace, Love and Shakespeare
ARTech students perform "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Friday and Saturday.
Even if you’ve seen A Midsummer Night’s Dream before—and chances are you have—you haven’t seen this version.
Set in the 1960s, the upcoming production by students uses promenade staging to put the audience in the middle of the action. There’s no center stage and no rows of seats; instead, actors perform from different platforms arranged throughout the room.
“The audience will move and shift as they choose to, and the actors have to be ready to adjust. The actors have to be totally up on their lines,” said director Bob Gregory-Bjorkland.
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The often-performed Shakespeare comedy is about love, which Gregory-Bjorkland said makes it a perfect fit for the 1960s setting. Although the costumes and music reflect that era, the text is all Shakespeare—an abridged version so the show can be performed in about 70 minutes.
“This is a show that will appeal to audiences. It’s well done. It’s not just a show for moms and dads, it’s for the entire community,” he said.
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Gregory-Bjorkland had a small role as a fairy in a Luther College production of Midsummer back in the 1970s, but this is his first time directing a Shakespeare production. He said the greatest challenge for the 31-member cast has been digesting and understanding the language.
Arlo Cristofaro-Hark, who plays Nick Bottom, said it’s almost like performing a play in a foreign language. It’s his first time in a Shakespeare production, but it's not his first experience with promenade staging.
“I’m excited to interact with the audience,” he said.
William Marroquin-Haslett played Puck in the outdoor production of Midsummer two summers ago. He said he’s enjoying playing Lysander in the ARTech production because there are no bugs and more youth are involved.
“Probably my favorite part of doing a play is the whole process and community building of it,” he said.
Olivia Paulsen has found it challenging to figure out her character of Helena, who at times seems innocent and needy but can also be scheming. She said she loves the beautiful language of the play.
“I hope people enjoy it,” Paulsen said. “As much fun as it is for us to do it, you really only get the full meaning of it when you perform it for an audience.”
IF YOU GO
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday
WHERE:
COST: Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students.
For more information, call 507-663-8806, ext.212.
