A Midsummer Night's Dream
by William Shakespeare
Escape the confines of lockdown for an hour or two and enter a world of magic and mischief. From the court of Theseus to enchanted woodlands, follow the story of our heroes as they escape Athens in pursuit of true love, just to get caught in a complex love triangle (rectangle?) at the hands of mischievous fairies. Will they reach their happily ever after? And how exactly does the donkey come into it?
Jazz Hands Productions have recreated the enchanting Shakespearean comedy of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as a radio play available here:
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This radioplay fundraised for Mind. Mind is a charity that provides support to anyone experiencing a mental health problem, by raising awareness, improving services and promoting understanding. Our radio play originated as a way for us keep theatre alive during the Covid crisis and to spend our lockdown time productively, doing what we love. While the current situation has had a negative impact on both the theatre industry and our extracurricular activities, it had a worse impact on mental health and wellbeing. Mind has positively influenced the lives of many of our team and cast, so we decided to dedicate this radio play to Mind and raise funds in support of mental health.
Cast
(in order of appearance)
Theseus - Alasdair Linn
Hippolyta - Emily Hassan
Egeus - Nathan De Giorgi
Hermia - Ellie Cooper
Demetrius - Alec Watson
Lysander - Caleb Barron
Helena - Katie Friedli Walton
Quince/Prologue - Maya Robinson
Snug/Lion - Maya Jasinska
Bottom/Pyramus - Dorothy McDowell
Flute/Thisby - Luke Richardson
Starvelling/Moonshine - Lily Miles
Snout/Wall - Issy Flower
Puck - Zakkai Goriely
Oberon - Gemma Daubeney
Fairies and Philostrate - Tamsin Sandford Smith
Titania - Darcy Dixon
Crew
Producer - Ana Pagu
Directors - Emma Hawkins & Felix Westcott
Sound Editor & Composer - Jonny Budd
Marketing Manager - Charlotte Moberly
Graphic Designer - Phillip Olney
Welfare Officer - Henry Calcutt
Music by: Jonny Budd
Fairy Song by: Tamsin Sandford-Smith
Animations by: William Olney
Preview #1:
The Fairy Monologue
(Act II, Scene 1)
Performed by
Tamsin Sandford Smith
Preview #2:
Helena's Monologue
(Act I, Scene 1)
Performed by
Katie Friedli Walton
Preview #3:
Puck's Soliloquy
(Act V, Scene 1)
Performed by
Zakkai Goriely
Delve into the character arcs and storylines in A Midsummer Night's Dream, from this conversation between one of our directors (Felix Westcott) and some of the cast: Ellie Cooper (Hermia), Gemma Daubeney (Oberon) and Maya Robinson (Quince).
Podcasts
Explore the behind-the-scenes of our radio play in these short podcasts
Hear from the director (Emma Hawkins) and producer (Ana Pagu) of A Midsummer Night's Dream about the ideas and motivations behind putting on a radio play in the current global climate. How did the radio play come to be? What challenges have they faced, and how it was different from your typical theatre productions?
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