Term 3 Shakespeare Assessment

You are the new director for the Bell Shakespeare Company and your task is to
present your directorial vision to the Board of the Company for a production of
A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Good morning Head Director and Chair men and women. Today I am going to
be pitching my idea for a version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, originally
written by William Shakespeare. My idea for A Midsummer Night’s Dream
recreates the play in the setting of a post-apocalyptic version where the main
characters deal with danger lurking at every corner and disease eating away at
survivors while they try to rebuild their ruined love lives. Themes such as love,
disorder, supernatural phenomena, and societal breakdown are used to
describe the futuristic, dystopian reality of the play.

My version of the play is set in a post-apocalyptic, abandoned town where

remaining survivors have found refuge against virus-infected zombies.
Onstage, the town set would need to be made from wood and metal then
painted muted greys and dirty browns. The colors and basic materials give the
town a feeling of inhabitance like the quiet forest in the original play. Not
having anybody living there would make it dirty because of the lack of care
given to the buildings, hence the muddy browns and warm colors. The town
would feel abandoned because of the low hygiene and dull coloring, also giving
it a sense of loneliness.

The costumes of the male characters would consist of plain fabrics such a
leather, cotton, and polyester. Retail stores would have be raided so fabric
scraps are sewn together to substitute and create plains shirts, pants, jackets,
and vests. The designs of the clothing would be like those worn by the
characters in the Maze Runner and Mad Max trilogies. Expensive fashion and
colorful designs would not be comfortable in the harsh environments and
dangerous situations that the characters face.

Sound and lighting are important in plays, movies, and TV shows. The music
played in the background of scenes would usually be slow, calm, and low-
pitched during a conversation scene, projecting the quiet atmosphere of the
characters talking. I would choose dim, warm colored lighting for calm scenes
to reinforce the quiet atmosphere. During intense fight scenes between
humans and zombies, loud and continuous music would be played and bright,
vibrant, light would shine down to highlight the details of the fighting
characters. The bright colors and loud music would display the anger and
heated actions of the characters.

Once again, my production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream will focus on the

love lives of four survivors during a zombie apocalypse. My idea is worthwhile
because different audiences have different genre interests for example
children like fantasy fables whereas adults enjoy action and adventure stories.
Creating different versions of Shakespeare’s original play will target various
audiences but as Shakespeare himself said “I am not bound to please thee with
my answers.”