A different take on a Shakespearean classic
Breaking down the misnomers surrounding Shakespearean drama and putting on a fun-filled show for audiences to revel in is what the drama troupe from Gateway College hope to achieve as the cast ready themselves to take on what will be their biggest challenge this year – ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The Musical’.
The play follows the original script that involves Theseus, Duke of Athens, preparing for his marriage to Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, while Hermia, who is in love with Lysander, refuses to submit to her father Egeus’ demand that she wed Demetrius. But it’s not without its twists as the troupe will surprise audiences with language, theatrics and even the resuscitation of Shakespeare.
Braving this tangle of romance, we encounter Oberon, King of the Fairies, Titania Queen of the Fairies and the mischievous jester, Puck. While the fairies and the band of -The Mechanicals- weave a web of hilarity. Kumudri, 13, plays the charming Pease Blossom who is actually the mischievous one out of the lot. “It’s always fun to play the mischievous character.” Pease Blossom, together with Puck makes sure that Shakespeare is tied up and thrown out of the play when the writer himself comes to life and tries to commandeer things.
Although the play is full of fun, there is a lot of work that has been going on behind the scenes and for Kumudri, it’s the challenge of being a part of a major production. “It’s an amazing opportunity to develop ourselves as actors.”
Aqilah Abdeen, 17, who plays Titania, Queen of the Fairies explains that performing a musical adds a refreshing zest to a much adored Shakespearean classic.
Being one of the senior members of the crew, she plays a dual-role of acting as well as keeping things in order. “The play is quite ambitious, but that’s the kind of standard we want to set for productions from Gateway College. If we are to get things going we have to start from somewhere, and I think we’ve taken that giant step.”
Bridging the gap between a school production and a large scale public production is the amount of discipline that goes in to the work, says Aqilah. “We may have fun off stage but there’s a lot of discipline that goes into a production and it’s imperative that we maintain that.”
Playing Hippolyta the Amazonian Queen is Farah Jumat, 18, and she comes off as a character who is obsessed with herself, caught up in the conundrum of being wed to someone she doesn’t fancy. Queen Hippolyta is portrayed as an elegant, composed and graceful character and although Farah has all those qualities herself, it came off as quite the challenge for the lively teen to play a reserved role. “It was quite the task to switch from my outgoing self to that of a reserved character, but giving your hundred percent to any role is what’s important.”
Fourteen year old J’shara plays Helena – one of the sparkly characters of the play who adds to the comical value. Having to maintain a high-pitched squeaky voice throughout, she aims to keep the crowd caught up in a wave of laughter. “I’ve had to completely change my voice, you know,” says J’shara putting on an impromptu skit from her part. Gavin, 14, plays Puck – the character who turns the whole play on its head, and eventually causes Shakespeare to come out of his grave to set things straight. “That is quite a lot,” laughs Gavin. Being a seasoned thespian even at his young age, Gavin is confident that they can pull of the musical rendition of this magical play.
Adding a different dimension to the play, Lasath, 14 -playing Demetrius- incorporates the use of witty Sinhalese dialogues in the play, mostly for comedic interests. “The smart use of Sinhala in the right places is used as a tool to break into the audience,” says Lasath. In fact, the entire play balances itself on the use of modern language at appropriate instances to break away from tradition.
Anish, 14, plays Theseus and he believes that teamwork is integral in gluing together a play which comes with its challenges. “While the basic plot is intact, there are many layers within the play and it needs proper teamwork to make sure that they don’t overlap.”
For veteran director Jerome L. De Silva, it’s about bringing Shakespeare closer to the children as well the audience. “Last year we did four Shakespearean plays and one of those sections was ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, and doing a musical on something they were familiar with was a good way forward,” says Jerome.
“Drama and theatre has become such a crucial part of the curriculum and students are eager to learn it as an extra-curricular activity.” Shakespearean plays have universal themes, says Jerome. “It’s not all about drudgery, there is a lot of fun in his plays and people can even relate to it. Which is why we are modernising it so that it would be approachable by all.”
Jerome says that it doesn’t necessarily mean that the play is straying away from the original script as such – the language tools and techniques are still very much kept intact.
“Audiences will realise that Shakespeare’s work is so close to home and he is not an alien to our society. It helps to break down the meanings and understand what he wrote. In the meantime, music and dancing definitely helps.”
‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream – The Musical’, will go on board at the Bishop’s College Auditorium on August 1, 2014 at 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm.