The Effort Press’ production of Mid---night’s dream is a part adaptation of the Shakespeare play of similar name - drawing specifically on the relationships between the four lovers, as well as the intrusions of the three faeries (reduced to two for the adaptation). By drawing on such rich source material and then committing the sin of cutting it into a new form, director Vanessa Pope has run the risk of losing the attention of an audience too grounded in the original work. Fortunately it’s a risk she manages to pull off, creating a fascinating piece of theatre that even purists will applaud for its reshaping of old ideas. The production is a rich demonstration of kineticism, an organic structure that feels in constant motion - the audience witnesses something that is far from the blart and blast of theatrical spectacle. Instead Mid---night’s Dream is a re-sequencing of the original’s genetic code, a double-helix strand tugged from each end - a strain between the classical and the modern. As one who promotes the use of creative game playing in the development of her work, Vanessa Pope has given the audience an insight into the pleasure of this process. This is no more apparent than in the casting of the two faeries (played by Susie Showers and Ella Brown) who skitter across the production with a nervous energy- drawing on each other with felt-tips, pulling at the other cast members, and leading the audience into participating. Their presence underlines an anarchic playfulness; managing to provide counter-point to the concerns of the lovers, whilst also highlighting the fundamental folly of human emotions.

The resplendent Sim Eldem plays Puck – stalking the stage in the first instance, a pinnacle of passive aggression. As the play progresses the audience are left with a sense of her initial dominance fading into one of more casual observance. As the human affairs become increasingly muddled Puck fades to background, only reasserting her overall control at the play’s conclusion. This adept interpretation by Eldem empowers the whole piece, allowing it to breathe at the appropriate moments with Puck reclaiming the spotlight when required.

The lovers are played by three actors; with the final part of Demetrius split between the two faeries. By actively competing with one another to dominate this role, they create a curiously disorientating effect. The audience’s investment lies as much with this assuming of roles, this staging of events as with the actual events themselves. All three of the ‘human’ actors are thrown into the production in a very literal sense – though once settled they take on their parts with aplomb. James Frecknall is convincing in his potrayal of the boorish Lysander, and Jennifer Tyler manages to play Hermia as coy yet manipulative. Jo Sessions as Helena deserves particular mention; her initial timidity rises to an incredibly dominating performance in the last section of the production. The confrontation between Helena and Hermia resounds thunderously, and is staged in a manner that is sympathetic to the drama. It is rare to find a production that can switch so fluently from conceptual theatre to ‘straight’ drama – and it is even more rare to find a cast able to invest in this change. To Vanessa Pope’s credit she has found a capable and fine group to help her realise her ambitious interpretation. Mid---night Dream is a refreshing combination of ideas, a revitalization of contemporary Shakespearean theatre, and at its heart it offers something that manages to be both experimental and emotionally engaging – a rare thing in any artistic field – and for this, the Effort Press should be applauded.

Words > Andy Spragg
Photos > Alexandra Bone