One of the Bard’s most beloved plays will take pride of place in Newcastle’s Pacific Park in January, kicking off a season of Shakespeare Under the Stars at the picturesque locale.
New local theatre company Whale Chorus will be staging A Midsummer Night’s Dream among the park’s gorgeous fig trees for four performances on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 January 2023.
Performed by 10 local actors and one local dog, this play is a celebration of the magic and madness of love and how the natural world can transform us and alter our ways of seeing.
Director Janie Gibson, who after studying ensemble and text-based theatre around the world returned to Newcastle to establish Whale Chorus, said while Shakespeare’s iconic work was full of whimsical playfulness, there are deeper meanings under the surface.
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream is such a fun play. It brings out a spirit of joy and silliness in the rehearsal room,” Janie said.
“But in this work, Shakespeare is also asking some very deep questions about love.
“We see how love and the forces of the natural world have the power to transform - they can overcome oppressive and archaic laws, they can instill chaos and madness, and ultimately they can make us see anew.”
A Midsummer Night’s Dream tells the tale of Hermia who after being forbidden to marry her beloved Lysander, runs away with her paramour to seek freedom elsewhere.
As the young lovers venture into the forest, the wildness of nature takes over and fairies emerge to play tricks on them.
Nearby a group of amateur actors are rehearsing a play and they too become bewitched in an unlikely love spell as the world of mortals and fairies collide.
The production will be performed with live music as well as a pre-show face painting by the Fairy Queen, making this family-friendly event one not to be missed.
Shakespeare Under the Stars: A Midsummer Night’s Dream is on at Pacific Park on Saturday 28 January 2023 (4pm & 7pm) and Sunday 29 January 2023 (4pm & 7pm). Head here for tickets and more information.