“…this performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Whale Chorus theatre company is the best I’ve seen (and this is probably my most viewed play). What a riotous delight! So many brilliant performances. Loved, loved, loved”
“It was brilliant…loved every minute”
“Gibson’s use of space is remarkable. The way in which she augments the natural landscape of a large fig tree to depict relations of characters and heighten comedic beats is a joy to watch. It was a truly clever idea to present the show in this setting, literally in the middle of our Australian summer, as the heat and the sun dies down to a dark night throughout the running time.”
“…the demonstrated engagement of the many young children in the audience (including the 6–7-year-old sitting next to me) attested to the quality of the production and the fact that it has managed to hit the mark for a family show. It was a sold-out crowd too and there were people lining up who hadn’t booked and were simply hoping to be let in.”
“An engaging feature of the Whale Chorus production was the kinetic energy generated by the cast. Entrances and exits were swift, with some actors arriving on comically teetering bicycles or bashing off through spikey undergrowth to escape an unwanted love interest. In his role as Demetrius, first time Shakespeare actor, Joey Porter, used a skateboard both to ward off Helena (Marie-Elle Vivaldi) and as a means of escape.”
“Thank you for all the work you put into Midsummer Night’s Dream. Thoroughly enjoyed the show in such a magical setting.”
“A key innovation of this production was the creation of an original score by musician Jim McIntyre and cast members Roger Ly and Tony Jozef. A number of actors played musical instruments during the play, an interweaving of performance and music that had Ly dashing over to the keyboard as Puck – singing his own original composition – and then almost immediately re-joining the action on stage.”
“We watched it yesterday. It was an amazing experience”
“Wonderful premiere performance of Shakespeare Under the Stars – A Midsummer Night’s Dream. What a delight! Whale Chorus brilliant work!”
“Given the nature of Pacific Park and its accessibility to the beach, there were quite a few interested passerby viewers, who would stop and watch for a while, including one quite large group of surfy teenagers in board shorts and bikinis.”
SHAKESPEARE UNDER THE STARS
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
We launched our inaugural season of Shakespeare Under the Stars last summer with a sold out production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream set amongst the iconic fig trees of Pacific Park. Performed by a dynamic ensemble of 10 local actors and live musicians, this production was a hit with local audiences from children to the elderly. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies which celebrates the magic and madness of love and how the natural world can transform us and alter our ways of seeing. With Shakespeare’s iconic high drama and low comedy we follow a set of Athenian mortals as they journey into the forest and collide with the cosmic world of the fairies. Through this play, we see how love and the forces of the natural world have the power to transform; they can overcome oppressive and archaic laws, they can instil chaos and madness, and ultimately they can make us see anew.
About
Creative Team
Director & Producer: Janie Gibson
Assistant Director: Phoebe Turnbull
Cast in alphabetical order: Emily Williams, Evie Laurence, Joey Porter, Marie-Elle Vivaldi, Matthew Harper, Matthew Heys, Roger Ly, Sara Barlow, Sharna Harris and Tony Jozef.
Musical Performance and Composition: James McIntyre (guitar), Roger Ly (voice & keys) and Tony Jozef (saxophone).
Set Design & Production: Fingers Cross Creative
Assistant Producer: Marigold Pazar
Costume Design: Ella Heathmore & Sami Pavlich
Donkey Mask: Ross Brown Darkside Masks
This project was proudly supported by the City of Newcastle’s Special Business rate Program
