A Midsummer Nights Dream
Book, Music and Lyrics by Phil Dennis, Catherine Lomax & Khiley Williams
Based upon William Shakespeare’s classic
Shakespeare's most magical play is brought to life for your students in this fabulous introduction to the Bard’s classic work.
- Description
- Additional information
- Full Synopsis
- Cast List
- Song List
- Resources Available
- Licensing Information
Description
As Midsummer Night approaches and Theseus and Hippolyta’s wedding draws near, four young lovers find themselves lost in the middle of an Athenian Forest where the Fairy King and Queen are quarrelling. As the course of true love never did run smooth they are interrupted by a group of amateur actors rehearsing a play within a play and the Fairy King can’t resist interfering. Mischief-maker, Puck the Fairy makes everything ten times worse and as our host of colourful characters all full in love with the wrong person it’s a race against time to for the Fairies to save the day. Featuring brand new toe-tapping songs, this show is a great introduction to the literary classic!
If you’d like to see the full synopsis, cast, songs and more click here.
Additional information
| Licences | Amateur Licence, Professional Licence, School Licence |
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Full Synopsis
Opening with the number, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, we find ourselves in the Athenian court with the Duke of Athens, Theseus and his future bride, Hippolyta. The whole court is bustling with excitement at the forthcoming wedding, on midsummer’s night until Egeus storms into the court demanding that Theseus help him with his troublesome daughter.
Egeus’s daughter, Hermia has fallen in love with Lysander, a young nobleman of Athens, the only trouble is her father has promised her hand in marriage to Demetrius. Demetrius and Lysander are both at the court to protest their love for Hermia but Theseus decides that Hermia must do what her father asks and marry Demetrius so while no one is looking Lysander and she agrees to elope and run away from Athens that very night.
That evening, just before Lysander and Hermia are ready to leave Athens and travel through the woods to escape, Hermia meets her best friend, Helena and tells her that she and Lysander are leaving Athens. Helena is so shocked she can hardly believe it and in desperations goes to find Demetrius and tell him of Hermia’s plan. Helena hopes that when Demetrius knows that Hermia is leaving Athens he will finally realise that Helena is the girl of his dreams and fall for her but her plan backfires and instead Demetrius chases after Lysander and Hermia into the Woods and Helena, determined to get her man chases after him!
In the magical woods, the King and Queen of the Fairies, Oberon, and Titania have had a row! All the fairies are on edge, all apart from Puck, the King’s assistant Fairy who loves nothing more than creating mischief! Oberon decides that he will need to make a fool of his wife to get her to realise he is always right and do what he wants so he sends Puck on a special mission to find a purple flower, that when put on the eyes of someone sleeping will make them fall in love with the first person or creature that they see as soon as they wake up. Throughout the Fairies scene, there are two beautiful numbers, one a dance sequence and one, the Fairy Song, introducing Titania and all of her assistants.
While Oberon is waiting for Puck to return with the flower he sees the four Athenian’s quarreling over Lysander and Demetrius both being in love with Hermia when Helena is in love with Demetrius. Upon Puck’s return with the flower, he sends him to put the flower on the eyes of the Athenian gentleman, Demetrius so that he will fall in love with Helena but Puck meets the wrong Athenian and bewitches Lysander instead so that he falls in love with Helena.
The sleeping Titania, whose eyes have been bewitched by the purple flower is awoken by the sound of a group of Mechanicals or tradesmen rehearsing their play for Theseus and Hippolyta’s wedding. Before Titania can see one of the men Puck weaves his magic and gives Bottom, the silliest most pretentious tradesman, a Donkey’s head. Titania falls totally in love with the ‘Ass’ and Oberon gets his revenge. Featuring Bottom’s Song this number really encapsulates the comedy of the moment.
Oberon then discovers that Puck has caused the wrong Athenian man to fall in love with the wrong Athenian woman and so sets off to right this wrong. Having made sure that Helena and Demetrius fall in love with one another he makes sure Hermia and Lysander fall in love with each other and then goes to rescues his fairy Queen and she falls back in love with him! Once everyone is in love with the right person our attention to turns to the wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta and the celebrations begin, including watching the disastrous play by the Mechanicals.
The show finishes with Puck’s Reflection a full company number led by Puck.
Cast List
10 Lead Roles
22 Supporting Roles (3 without lines. Possibility to feature in dance routines)
Flexible Ensemble group made up of Athenian Courtiers and Fairies
Character and Casting Call Breakdown
Theseus
The heroic duke of Athens engaged to Hippolyta. Theseus represents power and order throughout the play. He appears only at the beginning and end of the story, removed from the dreamlike events of the forest.
Egeus
Hermia’s father, complains about his daughter to Theseus because he had given Demetrius permission to marry Hermia, but Hermia, in love with Lysander, refuses to marry Demetrius.
Hermia
Egeus’s daughter, a young woman of Athens. Hermia is in love with Lysander and is a childhood friend of Helena. As a result of the fairies’ mischief with Oberon’s love potion, both Lysander and Demetrius suddenly fall in love with Helena. Self-conscious about being short, Hermia suspects that Helena has wooed the men with her height. By morning, however, Puck has sorted matters out with the love potion, and Lysander’s love for Hermia is restored.
Helena
A young woman of Athens, in love with Demetrius. Demetrius and Helena were once betrothed, but when Demetrius met Helena’s friend Hermia, he fell in love with her and abandoned Helena. Lacking confidence in her looks, Helena thinks that Demetrius and Lysander are mocking her when the fairies’ mischief causes them to fall in love with her.
Demetrius
A young man of Athens, initially in love with Hermia and ultimately in love with Helena.
Lysander
A young man of Athens, in love with Hermia. When Lysander and Hermia run away into the forest, Lysander becomes the victim of misapplied magic and wakes up in love with Helena.
Oberon
The King of the Fairies. Strong and determined he is quick to make decisions but has a kind heart.
Titania
The beautiful Queen of the Fairies, Titania’s brief, potion-induced love for Nick Bottom, whose head Puck has transformed into that of an ass, is one of the funniest moments of the play.
Puck
Puck is Oberon’s jester, a mischievous fairy who delights in playing pranks on mortals.
Bottom
Bottom is full of advice and self-confidence but frequently makes silly mistakes and misuses language. His unawareness of the fact that Puck has transformed his head into that of an ass makes him look particularly foolish.
Song List
Resources Available
- Vocal Score
- Backing tracks on request
- Props list
- Costume plot
- Teachers Pack
- Choreography support guide
