Preview- A Midsummer Night's Dream- Shakespeare in the Port
10-4-15
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By: Theo Blake
Pull out your picnic blankets, Shakespeare in the Port is back. A past Heckler winner for Best New Comer, is taking over the outdoor stage at Cyberport from April 16th to May 3rd. This year they’re producing three main stage shows along with several special events including a community arts festival with 8 bands and performance acts on May 3rd, a 24 Hour Play festival on April 26th and special appearances from guest artists, like the Peel Street Poets and their touring production, Sorry, Shakespeare! Their main shows for this year are Lear, The Tempest and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is being produced by Hong Kong University’s Shakespeare appreciation group, known as the HKU Shax Theatre Group.
"In the past 5 years STG has staged 6 Shakespearean plays at HKU as well as public venues, and we are happy that we are building our own audience. However, we do feel lonely and even a bit detached sometimes not being able to meet other artists like us. After all, art is about sharing, not keeping it to yourself. Shakespeare in the Port is a wonderful and precious platform for artists to socialize and exchange ideas with each other, which is definitely something that was missing in Hong Kong,” says Director, Rosalind.
This production of Midsummer was previously staged at the Fringe Club to much praise in February. “Our audiences really enjoyed our show. They like how the characters made them laugh with all the acting and costumes. Performing outdoor would mean that we cannot convey the scenes with lighting and backdrop. But one advantage is that it will be more spacious to perform outdoor, where a lot of the scenes in the play are in the forest,” says Andra who is Stage Managing the production.
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Desmond, who’s playing Oberon says, “In the past few years STG has only worked with undergraduates and postgraduates from HKU, but this year a few friends from HKUST and HKU Space have also joined us..."
Midsummer is Shakespeare’s most frequently produced work. His most popular comedy, was written around 1594 or 95. It portrays the adventures of four young lovers and a group of amateur actors, their interactions with woodland fairies and a duke and duchess. Taking place in a mythical Athens and an enchanted forest, there is a handsome fairy king, a misguided parent, star-crossed lovers, a weaver who's transformed into a half-donkey, wood sprites and elves. This work is widely performed around the world, and no wonder - it's about the world's most popular pastime, falling in love. But as Puck knows, falling in love can make fools of us all.
Venus, who plays Hermia, adds, “It is a beloved script because it has dramatic and funny plots with distinctive and adorable characters. The plots are very tight and easily grasping the attention of the audience. Furthermore, the energetic lovers, playful mechanicals and fairies together with Shakespeare's humorous and expressive language, make the script very entertaining and cinematic.”
The cast from this play is young and light hearted. You can hear their answers and tell how much they genuinely love performing. From the joy they express you can tell they haven’t been turned cynical from an artist life. It makes you want to see their show and what a young person's perspective on Shakespeare is. “I think people love this script because Shakespeare put a bit of everything in this play- it is a play not only about love and courtship, but also about misunderstanding, eavesdropping, imagination, dreams, transformation, mischief, magic and music, " says Rosalind.
Midsummer is only playing for two dates during the festival. March 18th and 19th at 3pm. Tickets are 300hkd but also include entry to all 3 productions happening on that same day, so you can bring some food and wine and enjoy Lear and The Tempest, as well. Kids under 12 attend the festival for free. Tickets are available on Ticketflap.com. Tickets can be purchased with cash on the day but there's a 30HKD extra charge. For more information about the festival or directions to the podium, visit their website or facebook page.
“A lot of people avoid seeing theatre or Shakespeare because they think it’ll be boring or fussy. We try to avoid that by presenting it in an accessible, casual atmosphere where people can feel free to eat, drink and ask questions,“ says Artistic Director, Meaghan McGurgan.
We close with a quote from the brilliant sounding director Rosalind Wong, “SITP is dedicated to working with local artists, young and old. This is such a precious platform for independent artists to exercise their creativity on the stage.”
So what are you waiting for? Get your tickets today...
Shakespeare in the Port is playing through May 3rd. For more information, click here.
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