Below is a review of Midsummer Night's Dream as written by Lindsay Wilkes. Lindsay is one of our youth theatre participants (see her in the promo shot for Well Swung above) and is currently working towards her Silver Arts Award. As part of the arts award she needs to review a show and ensure it is ‘shared with an audience’. So I thought as the readers of my blog were a worthy and kind audience, I would share it with you as it provides a different perspective on how Shakespeare is viewed by one of our young people.

Midsummer Night’s Dream, is one of Shakespeare’s comedies. This production at The Octagon Theatre is directed by David Thacker.

The two main themes of theshow that stood out to me are love and drugs. The four lovers act as if they have been drugged and when lovers get a love juice put into their eyes, the cast act as if they are tripping. A big part of this production feeling uplifting rather than boring was the technical aspects such as lighting, set, costumes etc.

The set design was really cool and funky. It wasn’t what I expected at all, it is very creative. When asked to describe it to someone, my answer was “full of big balls”! The lighting is always changing which makes the moment when Puck delivers his final monologue stand out. The lighting here stays the same, which helps you to focus in on it. One of the good things about the lighting is that it’s illuminous and the glow in the dark lights are mint -you end up looking around the audience to see who’s clothes are lighting up the most.

For me Titania's costume is to die for. I didn’t think that the costume would be 1960’s as I thought the play was a lot older! Whoever designed these clothes [It was Ashley Shairpe - Ed]chose brilliant costumes. The funniest costume for me was Nick’s, who plays Lysander, as the costume is flares and a multi coloured shirt, nothing like I have ever seen in my lifetime.

Also I think that David has picked a brilliant cast. The first time I saw it I loved Paula, who plays Titania and Hippolyta. She was outstanding, but for me Jake’s (Demetrius) and Vanessa’s (Helena) performances have been consistent and strong every single time. The way they act is outstanding and they draw your attention with all the running about and shouting that they do! I was very impressed with Rosie’s performance and how she had real tears in her eyes as Rob (Theseus) shouts at her in the first half. Also Vanessa’s performance for me was amazing as she wants Demetrius so much, that the more he refuses her, the more she wants him. This for me is something a young person can relate to…if we get told we aren’t allowed to do or have something, it makes us work all the harder to get it!

I personally didn’t know that Shakespeare did comedies but watching this show makes me want to watch more of Shakespeare’s plays. Before this performance I really thought Shakespeare was a load of old balls, turns out it is, but not in the way that I first thought!

A very nice email...

We have been sent a very nice email from someone that came to see A Midsummer Night's Dream. We are also getting some really great comments on our new ' customer feedback wall' downstairs. the meial was so nice I thoought I would re-produce it here.

Dear Marie,

You went to such trouble to ensure that my children and I would enjoy the performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream today that I thought I would let you know that we really did!

A sensuous and seductive Titania (oh to be able to move like that!), a beautiful and truly sympathetic portrayal of Helena, a Lysander and a Demetrius in whom we actually believed, an absolutely side-splitting play within a play (wherein Bottom and Wall particularly surpassed themselves), a fiery and determined Hermia, wonderful music, great setting, divine costumes (I want Oberon's coat). It was just marvellous from start to finish.

My 10 and 8 year olds loved it and followed the script easily because it was so exquisitely delivered (isn't it incredible that the language is still so alive after all these years?). My 8 year old had tears rolling down his cheeks by the final act and my 10-year-old didn't interrupt once - rare indeed!

I have never yet been disappointed by the Octagon, but today was a real theatre-going climax for us. Thankyou so much, and please pass on our congratulations to players and producer.

Best wishes,

Dawn

PS there was but one moment of potential embarrassment when both children whispered simultaneously "what IS going on?" as Titania leapt upon the all-too-accommodating Bottom in the elevated bed and the lid was closed upon the bizarre lovers - I deftly sidestepped the issue with a "she is tickling him" and escaped unscathed (phew).

Thanks for taking the time to write in. So what do the rest of you think? How about making a comment below...

Calling all Shakespeare Students

We are delighted to offer students that are studying Shakespeare tickets to see The Rape of Lucrece for just £5. Here are the details

Monday 22 February 2010

The Rape of Lucrece

Directed by Gareth Armstrong

“Shakespearean acting at its absolute finest” Three Weeks

“Powerful and horrifying...beautifully and excellently delivered by a master of his craft...You will rarely have the chance to experience great poetry brought to life this well” Fringe Review

"Sensational" Sir Trevor Nunn

Fresh from a critically acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Festival.Olivier award-nominee and RSC actor Gerard Logan presents his tour-de-force solo performance of Shakespeare's great narrative poem in our Studio.

This is a brilliant, brutal narrative poem giving an account of the terrible crime of rape and its dreadful consequences. for victim and perpetrator.

Time: 7.30pm

To claim your £5 ticket simply call the Octagon Theatre Ticket Office on 01204 520661 and quote ‘Shakespeare Student offer’. Tickets are subject to availability.

Reminder: You can also get under 26s free tickets every night this week for A Midsummer Night's Dream. Read more here. Call 01204 520661 to book yours.

Free Tickets during A Week Less Ordinary

We are celebrating a year of the A Night Less Ordinary scheme with an extra special week of events this half term. This landmark scheme, launched by the Arts Council in February 2009, gives young people under the age of 26 the chance to see a range of theatre in venues across the country for free.

So far, the Octagon has welcomed more than 1,500 young people to the theatre as part of the scheme, many of them attending the theatre for the first time. Overall the Arts Council aims to give more than 600,000 free theatre tickets to under 26 year olds across the UK over the next two years.

To celebrate the first year anniversary of the scheme, theatres around the country will be taking part in A Week Less Ordinary this half term holiday. For every evening performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Monday 15 Feburary - Friday 19 February) the Octagon will be giving away a limited number of free tickets for anyone under 26. The Octagon’s Artistic Director, David Thacker, believes this production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the perfect show to mark a year of this free theatre ticket scheme. He said:

“The A Night Less Ordinary scheme has been a huge success for the Octagon and we have been delighted to welcome a new wave of young people to the theatre and see what they think of the work we produce. A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been designed with young people in mind, and the young cast bring the play to life with energy and humour. By giving away free tickets for every evening performance this week, we hope even more under 26s will be able to experience this hilarious and passionate play.”

What’s more, for one week only, theatres around the country will be giving you the chance to see famous faces in unusual places, with actors taking some time away from the stage to serve behind the bar or sell you some tickets. Come to the Octagon in A Week Less Ordinary and you may well be surprised by who is serving you an interval ice cream.

The free tickets for under 26s are strictly limited. For more details call the Octagon Ticket Office on 01204 520661 to claim yours.

A Midsummer Night's Dream - the reviews...

It seems that the reviews of A Midsummer Night's Dream are a mixed bag. The critics can't seem to agree whether staging the production against the psychedelic backdrop of the late 1960s is inspired or incomprehensible. I have to say it worked for me. The woodland fairy world seems to represent an altered state of consciousness. And an altered state of consciousness is obviously the state that many of the characters reside in, having been drugged by the mischievous fairies so the parallels with 1960s hippy trippy subculture, for me, seem extremely clear. Plus, the set, lighting, use of space and costumes add up to a fantastical visual spectacle. There seems to be a divide over pace also with some saying it rattles along and others that it is on go slow.

There are some stunning performances. For me, Kieran Hill as Bottom, was wonderful. Charming and charismatic but also willing to also make a bit of an ass of himself to hilarious effect. Paula Jennings is captivating as the sensuous, nay, sexy Titania (am rethinking whether to bring my husband to this one as I think he is more than likely to fall under her spell!). According to a lot of the gentlemen I spoke to her white mini dress played a mesmerising supporting role!! I also loved Russell Dixon as Peter Quince who managed to have the audience in stitches without uttering a word and the very watchable Kiruna Stamell...

Judging by the laughter and resounding applause coming from the very young audience on Friday afternoon, it seems that they enjoyed it immensely, despite the running time of over 3 hours. So perhaps, and dare I say it for risk of offending, this one will enjoyed by the young or the young at heart....

"THE debate as to whether or not time and place should be tampered with in Shakespeare’s plays will rage for as long as his work is staged, but if the Bard was to witness this mesmerising production he would surely send a sonnet of approval in the direction of the Octagon." THE BOLTON NEWS Read more here...

"All in all, this is a passionate, gripping and humorous version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with standout performances from Kieran Hill (as Bottom), Russell Dixon (as Peter Quince) and, of course, the multi-talented music fairy, Carol Sloman. With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, find the romance within you and head towards the intimate Bolton Octagon- as this Dream is well worth going to see!" WHAT'S ON STAGE Read more here...

"Despite being a little too long for comfort this is an excellent production of Midsummer Night’s Dream and a fine addition to The Octagon’s programme." THE PUBLIC REVIEWS Read more here...

"David Thacker’s award-winning experience as resident director of the RSC proves invaluable in this potentially exhilarating, accessible, although overlong, production of one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays." THE STAGE Read more here...

"Designer Ashley Shairp’s acid-coloured playground of a forest, teeming with bouncing balls and magic lanterns, seems to unleash the potential in every character... Vanessa Kirby’s heart-broken Helena sets the stage alight... Rob Edwards’ magisterial Oberon... Kieran Hill makes an unusually good-looking Bottom... Russell Dixon’s Peter Quince runs off with the comedy honours... The handling of the verse is uniformly excellent, and David Thacker’s inspired use of the entire auditorium really brings the show alive..." UK THEATRE NET Read more here...

And a transcript of Clitheroe Advertiser's review here...

Director David Thacker and designer Ashley Shairp have had a ball in creating the Octagon’s production of one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, A Midsummer Night’s Dream – both literally and metaphorically!

This is a wonderful psychedelic interpretation set in 1967, the summer of love in San Francisco, the Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper, Cardin and Courregges, and also anti-Vietnam war protests and the coup that put the Colonels in charge of a repressive regime in Greece. Theseus’ court is militaristic and his bride-to-be Hippolyta is unhappy. But when the young lovers and the Athenian workmen escape to the woods they find themselves in a surreal world of multi-coloured, multi-sized plastic balls that roll around the stage giving a sense of fun and anarchy, which eventually envelopes everyone.

The diverse cast are terrific. Rob Edwards is both Theseus and a thoughtful, complex Oberon. Paula Jennings is Hippolyta and a wonderfully sexy sixties ‘bird’ as Titania. Rosie Jones, Vanessa Kirby Jake Norton and Nick Underwoood are delightfully charming and confused as the lovers. However, special praise must go to the ‘Rude Mechanicals’ who double as Palace Guards and weirdly costumed fairies. Kieran Hill is an appealing Bottom. Russell Dixon gives another of his superb performances as Peter Quince. His interpretation of Quince delivering the prologue in the play within a play is masterful. They are well supported by some wonderfully comic performances from Laurence Clark, Brendan Quinn, Russell Richardson and Kiruna Stamell. The whole is masterminded by Puck, an unusual but clever interpretation by Leo Atkin. The final act is hilarious.

As I left, I followed several members of the audience who were still giggling, complaining of stomach ache with laughing so much! I was in a similar state plus having the unattainable desire to be able to wear mini-skirts and high-heeled, white PVC boots again!

"Thacker’s biggest success is with most productions’ weak-link, the young lovers caught in their elders’ world...Every line is well-crafted to give meaning...a production where the human spirit replaces external order as the foundation for society." REVIEWSGATE. Read more here...

"the military junta is ­magically transformed into Sergeant Pepper and his band, and a quartet of young people conduct an experiment in free love aided by mind-altering ­substances. It's a metaphor so obvious it seems surprising no one has thought of it before, but Thacker's concept fits the play like a velvet glove over an iron fist." THE GUARDIAN Read more...

More reviews

Read British Theatre Guide here
Read Citylife review here
Read Lancashire Evening Post here
A mention in The Observer review here

I had a weird dream last night....

A Midsummer Night's Dream opened last night and I am more than a little excited. Ever since seeing the set model for this one, I have been looking forward to it with eager anticipation. The actual set more than lives up to it's model but even better as it is life-sized and the auditorium looks like a mixture of something out of Willy Wonka's factory, crossed with a ball crawl and the type of hallucinations you might have seen if you embraced the 1960s a bit too wholeheartedly!

And looking at the production images today has only heightened my desire to see this show. Although, I am a big fan of his work, Ian Tilton has outdone himself this time round as he has caught some fabulous moments despite the sheer number of cast and frenetic, crazy pace of the production. Take a look....

My admiration also goes to the wonders of wardrobe for the spectacular range of costumes and Ashley for his awesome design. It's going to be a good night....

Dream team reunion...

Russell Dixon - Quince

It seems that this old theatre world is a small one. As I think I mentioned here, David has directed many a Shakespeare production (15 of Shakepeares plays and over 22 productions at the last count) but his first for the RSC was the Olivier award-winning Pericles. Funnily enough, it was also the debut at the RSC for Russell Dixon (who will appear as Quince in A Midsummer Night's Dream) and the lead was played by Rob Edwards who is also reuniting with David as he is playing Theseus/Oberon on the Octagon stage. I am hoping that this trio brings us luck and more accolades for our upcoming production.

Rob Edwards - Theseus / Oberon

A dreamy start to the new year....

Here at the Octagon, we are set to welcome in the New Year with one of William Shakespeare’s best-loved comedies: A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It’s the next in a season of plays that has included the multi-award winning and totally wonderful All My Sons and the magical Oliver Twist, the best selling Octagon show of all time. If we combine the tension and emotion of All My Sons with the magic and wonder of Oliver Twist then I think we are onto a winner...

When two pairs of lovers take flight to the forest to escape the tyranny of Theseus’ regime, what follows is a night of utter magical confusion. A Midsummer Night’s Dream features some of Shakespeare’s best loved characters, including Bottom the weaver, who is transformed into an amorous donkey! This is a large-scale production for our little theatre, complete with live music, will be directed by David himself. When I caught up with him this is what he had to say about the play.

“No play like it had ever been written – and no play like it has been written since. Workmen, lovers, royalty and the fairy kingdom bumping into each other as they all try to deal with the problems, joys and delights of the force that holds so many of us in its unpredictable grip – LOVE. Like many of the productions of Shakespeare that I’ve most enjoyed directing, and have been most appreciated by audiences, I’ve decided to set this in a modern context – in this case, the late sixties. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a passionate, funny play that never fails to surprise me – and I hope our ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ will release its dynamic energy and reach the Octagon’s audience in ways that may surprise them too.”

David has a fine pedigree with the work of Shakespeare. During his time as Resident Director at the Royal Shakespeare Company and at the Young Vic in London he directed many of the country’s finest actors in Shakespeare productions, including Clive Owen, Natasha Richardson and Tom Wilkinson. His production of Pericles for the RSC won him the UK’s top theatre prize: an Olivier Award for Best Director.

The cast of fourteen includes one of the region’s best loved actors, Russell Dixon. His television credits include Coronation Street and Dalziel and Pascoe, and he starred as Rafe in the Octagon’s record-breaking production of Bill Naughton’s Spring and Port Wine in 2007. He is joined by Kiruna Stamell who recently appeared in Channel 4’s comedy drama Cast Offs, but is best known for her scene-stealing role in Baz Luhrmann’s smash-hit film Moulin Rouge. When I met her the other day, she told me she had read the blog (hi Kiruna). This production also sees a professional theatre debut for award-winning stand-up comedian Laurence Clark.

The rest of the cast has a youthful look including Vanessa Kirby, who returns to the Octagon following her acclaimed professional theatre debut in our recent productions of All My Sons. It was a performance which earned her the Biza Award for best up and coming actor, company or initiative at the Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards 2009.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is at the Octagon from Thursday 4 February to Saturday 6 March 2010. Tickets are from £9 on 01204 520661, or can be bought online at www.octagonbolton.co.uk/MidsummerNights.asp

Who did it first?

I mean't to post about this a while ago and then promptly forgot. I am sure that most of you will be aware that Bolton's own Peter Kay did the single for this year's Children In Need. I am just wondering if he used the image for our upcoming production of A Midsummer Night's Dream as his inspiration for the singles cover artwork. Or perhaps Bolton folk have a thing for Beatles album covers.

A Midsummer Night's Dream...


Children in Need

So who copied who? You decide. I just have to add here we launched our Season Brochure complete with image back in April so, as Peter would say, think on!

Coincidences...

A bit of early casting news for A Midsummer Night's Dream and for me an uncanny coincidence. I was having a flick through Grazia (yes I have admitted my love for it before) and found this piece about a new spoof reality show, Cast Offs, coming to Channel 4 in November.

Not only does it star one of the cast [Kiruna Stamell as Carrie - there she is below] from our upcoming production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, but it was shot [and so was this photo shoot by the looks of it] partly near to my hometown in North Norfolk. Here are some of the cast on the glorious Holkham Beach. I look forward to shooting the breeze with Kiruna about the delights of the North Norfolk coast when she arrives for rehearsals after Christmas but if you want to see her in action before then tune in to Cast Offs on Channel4 from 24 November....

The North Norfolk coast has desirable as a location for TV and movies alike. Not only is it the location for Kingdom featuring Stephen Fry and Mixed Up North's Celia Imrie, but also Holkham Beach was used in the All Saints video for Pure Shores [soundtrack to the movie The Beach] and it was also the beach used for Gyneth Paltrow's enigmatic walk at the end of Shakespeare in Love.