A Midsummer Night’s Dream
by William Shakespeare
“Midsummer in December” staged reading
December 2008
It had long been an ambition of mine to begin a staged reading series with Richmond Shakespeare, and I was finally given the opportunity to do a trial performance as a fundraiser. I was able to assemble a company featuring some of the city’s most beloved acting talent, an all-star cast peppered with a few talented newcomers.
With only two rehearsals, staging was of necessity simple. Actors were restricted to music stands, but were encouraged to use the stands creatively, moving them around, hiding under them, and adjusting heights as they moved from stand to stand. The veteran nature of the cast meant that they could be given enormous liberty, resulting in hilarious improvisation and at least one minor in-performance injury.
A narrator (Audra Honaker) was added with new, modern text to clarify the action. She also put the love juice tokens on the characters enchanted by the flower, represented by plastic headbands with heart-tipped antennae.
The success of the “Midsummer in December” fundraiser inspired a full production of the show the following Spring, as well as a monthly staged reading series that continues to this day. It was performed in the chapel at Second Presbyterian Church.
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