A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Midsummer Night's Dream [1] is a comedy play by William Shakespeare. Written between 1590 and 1596, first produced 1604. The work lost favour during the restoration period (Samuel Pepys described the 1662 revival as "the most insipid and ridiculous play I ever saw in my life") but gained new interest in the 19th century as a way of showcasing elaborate costumes and sets. Since then, A Midsummer Night's Dream has been adapted for opera, ballet, television, and film.

Performance history in South Africa

A copy of the play was on sale in Cape Town in 1800 for £25, but no production followed apparently, despite the hopes of the reporter of the Kaapsche Courant (15 November).

1890s: In one of the early amateur productions in South Africa, Cecil John Rhodes was entertained by Rudyard Kipling and artist Jan Juta's sister René Juta, her other sisters and family servants, with the performance of scenes from A Midsummer Night's Dream on the slopes of Devil's Peak in the 1890s (See Merrington, 2009; Juta 1972: 52).

1900: First produced professionally in South Africa by the Holloway Company in Cape Town in (*??).

1957: Maynardville starring, among others, David Crichton.

1964: The Shakespeare quadcentennial production at the Alexander Theatre was directed by Joan Brickhill and Louis Burke, with Joan Brickhill, Louis Burke, Jenny Gratus.

1965: Maynardville starring Johann Nell.

1964: A production by PACOFS, in collaboration with The Bloemfontein Shakespeare Circle, directed by John Boulter, the performance on the first night was in an old railway shed in Tweespruit before moving to Bloemfontein's Civic Theatre. The cast included Robin Short and Michael van Gelder. Robert Lang was the stage manager.

1975: Presented by University Theatre Stellenbosch in 1975, produced by Ria Olivier and Pat Harvey.

1981: Staged by PACT during the opening season of the Pretoria State Theatre, directed by Robert Mohr with Etienne Puren, Louise Saint Claire, Murray Woodfield, Alan Swerdlow, Annelisa Weiland, Gillian Harris, Ronald Wallace, Michael Richard, Leslie Fong (credited as Lesley Fong), Andre Jacobs, Pamela Gien, Janice Honeyman, Marc Colli, Michael McCabe, Richard Carlsson, James Borthwick, Eric Nobbs, Anthony James and Tobie Cronjé.

1981: Produced at Maynardville, directed by Philip Grout, opening 9 January, starring John Whiteley, Liz Dick, Alan Swerdlow, Neville Thomas, Mary Dreyer, Deon van Zyl, Sean Taylor, Diane Wilson, Roger Dwyer, John Hussey, Russel Savadier, Nigel Daly, Tom Holmes, Peter Voigt. Designer Hugh Durrant, lighting Brian Kennedy, choreographer Veronica Paeper. Original music by British composer Ian Kellam, singing coach David Matheson. Stage manager Mavis Lilenstein.

1984: Directed by David Horner and Sarah Roberts for SODA at the Wits Theatre.

1988-9: An innovative joint production incorporating large puppets, by the Baxter Theatre Centre and the Market Theatre, in association with the Handspring Puppet Theatre Company. Presented at the Oude Libertas Theatre, Stellenbosch, the Baxter Theatre Centre, Cape Town, National Arts Festival, Grahamstown, and the Market Theatre, Johannesburg. Originally directed by Esther van Ryswyk (Oude Libertas, Baxter) and re-directed by Fred Abrahamse (Market) in 1989. With musical direction by Johan Cloete, décor and puppet design by Adrian Kohler, costume design by John Caviggia (Baxter), Ann Sharfman (Market), and choreography of movement by Jennie Reznek. The Baxter Theatre cast consisted of: Neil McCarthy, Fred Abrahamse, Basil Appolis, Clare Stopford, Dawid Minnaar, Sandi Schultz, Jennie Reznek, Antoinette Butler, Martin le Maitre, Ivan Abrahams, Basil Jones, Adrian Kohler, Paul Malherbe, André Samuels. Market Theatre cast consisted of: Neil McCarthy, Fiona Ramsay, John Ramsbottom, Gaynor Young, Robert Finlayson, David Butler, Clare Stopford, Jennie Reznek, David Alcock, Robin Smith, Basil Jones, Adrian Kohler, Fats Dibeko, Solomon Bisholo.

1995: Produced at Maynardville from 6 January to 18 February, directed by British director and playwright Patrick Sandford, starring Sean Taylor, Mary Dreyer, Deirdre Wolhuter, Anthony Bishop, Michelle Scott, Jay Heale, Anthea Thompson, Nicholas Boraine, Nicholas Ashby, Jana van Niekerk, David Alcock, Jonathan Pienaar, Paul Warwick Griffin, Nkosinathi Gqotso, André Samuels, Neels Coetzee, Peter Butler, Karin van der Laag, David Nissen and Eoudia Samson.

1997 Shirley Johnston directed the play for the University of Stellenbosch Drama Department in the H.B. Thom Theatre, starring Jerick September, Ilse Oppelt, Francois Toerien, Jenny Stead, Anton Luitingh, Albert Snyman, Hugo Theart, Abduragman Adams and others.

2002: Performed at Maynardville, directed by Fred Abrahamse.

2012: Produced by Artscape at the Artscape Theatre and the National Arts Festival and from 23 January to 26 February 2013 at the Maynardville Open-Air Theatre, in repertory with Cardenio (12 January to 16 February 2013) This production was the play's sixth staging at Maynardville since the open-air theatre began in 1957. It featured Marcel Meyer, Terence Bridgett, Hannah Borthwick and Sven Ruygrok.

Translations and adaptations

Translated into Afrikaans as Midsomernagdroom by Eitemal, published by Human & Rousseau in 1974 and produced by ** in 19**.

Roelf Laubscher translated the play into Afrikaans as 'n Somernagdroom (Unpublished, 1975). Produced by SUKOVS, stage management by Mavis Lilenstein, 1975.

Sources

Teaterwoordeboek, Vaktaalburo, 1977

PACT theatre programme, 1981.

Maynardville theatre programmes, 1981 and 1995.

US Drama Theatre programme, 1997

Petru & Carel Trichardt theatre programme collection.

Go to ESAT Bibliography

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