Nutley Theatre Workshop
The Inessential A Midsummer Night's Dream
24th and 25th November 2000
Having looked at the story of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream during the summer term of 2000, the Nutley Youth Theatre Workshop decided to look for a simplified script suitable for performance in November 2000. We read the above version and immediately decided this was the script for us!
This is what some of the cast had to say after the performances:
"I played the part of Titania in Midsummer Night’s Dream. The simplified version of the original script was wonderful, using modern language with an extensive vocabulary. I was able to enjoy the play a lot more. I loved playing the part of Titania, my lines were magical to say and with the set and costumes the play worked beautifully."
Claire Roberts aged 15
"I really enjoyed Midsummer Night’s Dream. One of the first big performances I had done. Really fun."
Jessica aged 11½
"I got to play the part of Helena which was the one I wanted. I found the modern language a lot easier to cope with because it made it more close to home. The final production was brilliant."
Kate Anderson aged 14
"Hermia is quite a hard part to play. I found it much easier with the modern language as I was able to understand it. It was a very enlightening experience..."
Rosie Lewenstein aged 15
"I thought it was great fun, the way it was written was really fab. I really had fun with my role."
(Bottom) Tom Drury aged 14
"I played Philostrate. When we were first told we were doing Shakespeare I didn’t like the idea but it was great fun doing it. The performance went well and it was all good fun."
Lindsey Roots aged 12
"I played a talking fairy. I thought that a Shakespeare play would be very hard with all the old English, but this was great. The best play I’ve ever done."
Harriet Fermor aged 13
“I was Quince. I really enjoyed being him. The play was really good because I wouldn’t have understood it in Shakespeare language but now I know what it means I would understand it."
Woody Lewenstein aged 13
Nutley Youth Theatre Workshop was founded in 1973 and is affiliated to the Nutley Drama Group. It has a junior group (aged 7-11) and a senior group (aged 12-16) who meet on Saturday mornings during term time at Nutley Memorial Hall. A wide variety of theatre skills are taught and enjoyed culminating in an annual performance for parents and public. Visits from outside specialists are also arranged. Recently the group explored the use of character masks, particularly those of the commedia dell’arte.