OakTech Rep is kicking off this school year with the must-see comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which is a sharp contrast from their Shakespearian tragedy the previous fall. Set in a 70s California Redwoods Mill-town, the story follows a variety of characters brought together by mischief, magic, and love.
According to the director, Ms. Egan, the drama department chose this show because it’s “perfect for high school, there’s lots of parts, and good musical numbers for the cast”.
Behind the scenes, the crew has been hard at work to prepare the set, props, and costumes. Production can be seen rolling at a steady pace. Although the set is not completely finished, the set designers have constructed a second story on stage that the Techies can now walk on. In addition to a two-story set, giant trees are being prepared to decorate the stage, and props and set dressing are well on their way.
In the costume department, students are earnestly working on colorful and unique attire for each of the three kinds of characters: fairies, townspeople, and mechanicals. According to costume Techie, Eliza King, fairies will be seen in colorful garb, mechanicals will be dressed in brown suits, and townspeople will have on classic 70’s wear.
“The costumes are gearing up to be stunning and sparkly in a decade we haven’t worked with in recent years”, states costume lead, Sophiella DeFriez.
The technical director, Mr. Fern, says construction is moving along at a good pace and that the crew has been very supported by admin on building on the stage earlier than usual.
On the stage, the mischievous and magical story is set off by the intertwining relationship between fairies and humans. The whole show is set before the marriage between the Duke (LaPrince Taylor) and Hippolyta (Dannys Lumpkin), and a group of tradesmen (the Mechanicals) are planning to perform a play in celebration of the Duke’s wedding.
Meanwhile, a gentleman in the town, named Egeus (Larkspur Vance), expects his daughter Hermia (Sophie Perry) to marry a man named Demetrius (Griffin Bierner), but she refuses because she’s in love with another man. The town’s Duke orders Hermia to obey her father or, according to the law, she must face a death penalty. So, Hermia and her lover, Lysander (Lathel Douglas), decide to elope and confide in their friend Helena (Amina Tongun). However, Helena is secretly in love with Demetrius, so hoping to win his affection, she tells Demetrius of Hermia’s plan. That night, all four lovers set out into the forest.
In the forest, the fairy king and queen, Oberon (Carlos Hernandez) and Titania (Savanna Sanford), have a rocky relationship which spurs Oberon to have his trickster servant, Puck (Nicola McDonald), help him prank Titania in order to punish her. Oberon sends Puck to get the juice of a magic plant, which when squeezed onto the eyes of someone sleeping, causes them to fall in love with the first creature they see when they wake up.
Oberon uses the juice on Titania as she sleeps, and Puck uses the juice on Demetrius so that Demetrius will fall in love with Helena. However, Puck muddles up Demetrius and Lysander and uses the juice on Lysander instead, which causes Lysander to promptly fall in love with Helena. The mistake sparks the beginning of a hectic story, full of ups and downs, comedic situations, and plot twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream offers a comical look at the supernatural and surreal power of magic, highlighting the order and disorder they bring, along with displaying the hardships of love.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be performed from November 14th through 16th in Oakland Tech’s Auditorium, and you can purchase tickets at the door. OUSD students and faculty who bring an ID will have a discounted price of $5. Catch you on the flip side!