If we shadows have offended...

It doesn't matter, because we're doing it anyway.

Indeed, with many apologies to Shakespeare, and no undue amount of hilarity, Shimer (in collaboration with IIT's 33rd Street productions) put on a badly mutilat--er, much abbreviated performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream. All photos credited to our awesome in-house photographer Señor Timm.

Myself as Puck, harassing Lysander, who doesn't know it 'cause he's asleep.

I won't give too many details of behind-the-scenes work, because that will spoil the magic of what we did. But suffice it to say that it was a great deal of fun.  We cut out all the fairy parts (except for Puck, whom I played more as a somewhat sadistic crazy person messing with all these lovers and mechanicals), which I was worried might not work because the audience would be: "Where's Oberon and Titania?" I missed them too, but overall the play worked out very nicely. We even got into a great deal of physicality (wrestling, anyone?) and Shakespeare overall lends itself to a very minimalist staging.

Lysander and Hermia, in the first scene.

Helena shocked to hear Lysander's confession of love for her. What's Hermia now, chopped liver?

Our rude mechanicals, in the palace wood...

Demetrius trying to seduce Hermia and totally failing.

Two lovers in death--our weak and idle theme.

We had a three-night run in two different venues (because someone was kind enough to schedule an event without asking us in our theater space on Saturday), and people loved it. This was the first real bit of acting (like, with line memorization and everything) that I've done in quite a while--and had fun doing it!

Next I'm going to pitch Arcadia (Tom Stoppard; if you don't know it, you should look it up, it's only one of the most amazing plays ever) as our play for next spring. Shimer's theater program is small at the moment, but the more of y'all that come, the bigger and better productions we can put on.

Comments

[Jonathan Timm]

thanks for the photo cred!