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Introduction: MU Theatre Department’s Approach to A Midsummer Night’s Dream

As a cornerstone of English literature and drama, Shakespeare is pervasive for his enduring themes that connect to our present day. Theatre-makers may create performances that attempt to bring the Elizabethan theatre back from the dead, or as a highly modern and contemporary interpretation that speaks to our current times. At Miami University, Director Lewis Magruder and his assistant, Max Kaufman, have shaped a story that takes nods from counterculture in the 1960s, centering around the theme of youthful rebellion and chaos.

Starting with scenery, designer Seth Howard creates an “inner-above” and “inner-below” evoking images of the Globe Theatre, while utilizing the simple tools of the theatre: scaffolding, levels, ladders, etc., to create dynamic images, all while taking some inspiration from the Woodstock era. For costumes, the courtly figures of Theseus, Hippolyta, and Egeus all wear straight lines reminiscent of 1960s styles of figures like the Kennedys and others of upper-class status. As for the Athenian youths, they have more classic 60s style that is suburbanite and dollish, perfect for youths who seek to disobey their upper-class parents and escape to the woods. In the woods, the fairies and mechanicals reside, with fairies draped in natural fibers and overlapping psychedelic patterns, evoking images of “hippies,” whereas the mechanicals dress in overalls and denim overshirts, evoking the image of working-class laborers. Lights create a woodsy and psychedelic atmosphere when moving from the glossy Athenian palace to the Woodstockian concert venue of the forest. Sound creates guitars and incorporates 60s musical selections in its execution of the story.

Combined, these elements of design enhance the theme of the world, and tie it to a historical moment in American culture: youth countercultural resistance among a largely rigid social order. During the time of Woodstock, August 1969, teens and twenty-somethings were grappling with cultural upheaval of the Vietnam War/Anti-War protests and the Civil Rights movement. Angry at their parents’ traditional views on race, gender, sexual orientation, and art, youths took to the streets advocating for humanitarian causes like ending war, racial equality and justice, gender equality, and LGBTQ+ rights, largely through the messaging of “peace and love.” These themes, while pertinent for today’s audiences, also ring true for Shakespeare’s initial desire for his play: to allow the chaos of love to run wild even when larger forces get in the way.

As an addendum to the guide, please refer to the section titled: “Adaptations and Contemporary Resonances” to gain access to other productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. These films and filmed stagings may supplement your understanding of how Shakespeare may be adapted now and what those films and stagings reveal about how our culture engages with Shakespeare.

As you engage with Shakespeare, consider these questions:

  • What connections to the plot of A Midsummer Night’s Dream can you make to our world and your own life?
  • What other pieces of literature, film, theatre, etc. feel like A Midsummer Night’s Dream to you?
  • What are the obstacles that each character faces to achieve their goals? Do you share a similar obstacle?
  • How might you readapt (through a piece of art) A Midsummer Night’s Dream to reflect or address a situation in your life or community?
  • How does each element of design work together to form a message or emphasize a theme within a production? What is important about that theme?

Further Reading

This short, 7-minute overview on Woodstock from PBS News Hour highlights the importance of the music festival, the social context of the counterculture movement, and how its echoes still reverberate in current activism.

"What Woodstock meant for America's culture of rebellion." PBS News Hour, 16 August 2019.