A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Jessica Mazzone

  For the past 38 years Shakespeare in the Parks has been traveling all over Montana, northern Wyoming and eastern Idaho offering the communities of many cities free yet classical entertainment.
This program began as a 12 city tour and has grown into its own company preforming 75 shows in 60 communities over a two month period. With the companies contribution to these small communities has made it not only regionally but nationally known.

  This last Friday I had the chance to see this exquisite performance and enjoy the culture that these amazing actors bring to our community every year. This year they brought William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream to the Mother Lode Theatre. The play originally supposed to be held outside was moved inside due to our odd weather patterns. There were only ten actors throughout the play and almost all of them played two parts. This was one of the things that really impressed me. I have been in a couple plays in high school and I know how it is to have to remember so many lines. These actors had to remember lines for two different parts. Trying to remember the number of lines is hard enough in and of itself but keeping those characters separate would make the job even more challenging.

   I have seen another version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but these actors out did themselves. Not only did they put on a great show making the audiences laugh, gasp and have us on the edge of our seats but they also interacted with the audience. They had us chanting something at one part to bring Nick Bottom back to life from attempting to take the donkey head off. Another example of how much they had the audience intrigued with the show was during the very last seen when Puck comes out to say the closing remarks for the play. At the very moment he walked out a little kid in the audience stood up on his chair and yelled “Here comes trouble!” There was not one person in the audience or behind the stage with a straight face. The other actors were walking out giving the child thumbs up. Over all I was very impressed with the play and will be attending the next Shakespeare in the Parks. For those of you who have never been to this event, whether it be here in Butte or anywhere else in the state, I highly recommend you check it out.