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'Fun confusion' takes to stage

MATT MOLLOY
Alaska Highway News

A Midsummer Night's Dream will take the stage tonight, but the Shakespeare classic, a co-production between Stage North Theatre Society and Studio 2 Stage will be a little different than the Bard's.

"Oliver (Hachmeister) wanted to do the play and I wanted to do the ballet and since we didn't have enough to do both, we got together and put this together," said co-director Shauna Milne, adding that although they have the play in its historical form, they've added dancing to Shakespeare's classic comedy. "I hope it will makes the play more entertaining because there's a lot more involved than just the talking and it will be more visual as well."

Milne said the play is based around an obnoxious fairy named Puck who is constantly causing mischief.
"In his journeys, he puts a spell on the lovers and they fall in love with the other girl and so you have a battle of who is going to love who," she explained.

The mischievous Puck doesn't stop there and places spells on another group of people known as the players that results in side-splitting comedy.

Amy Scholten, an English major who has always loved Shakespeare's work, plays the trouble-maker.

"My character (Puck) is a male role and he belongs to Oberon, King of the Fairies," she said. "He likes to mess with people's love lives and anything else he can do. Sometimes he does make honest mistakes and sometimes he's just up to no good in general."

Some believe that Puck is the main character, and even though he doesn't have the most lines, his presence on stage is always felt.

"I don't have the most lines by any means but I am in a lot of scenes just because I'm involved with almost everything that the actors are doing."

One life that Puck definitely interferes with is the life of Lysander, who begins the play deeply in love with a woman named Hermia. But because of Puck, Lysander finds himself in love with another woman - Helena.

"It's chaotic and a lot of fun because it brings a lot of confusion, but fun confusion, because it turns into a big triangle," said Ted Sloan, who plays Lysander. "Someone wants to love somebody and doesn't actually...it's fantastic."

Sloan said this play is definitely something the whole family can attend, but if there is one problem, it's understanding the dialogue.
"The hard part might be the language but I've worked on it for six months so I know exactly what they're saying because I have to know," he said. "But a lot of the times we brought forth the language into action so sometimes you don't need to hear the dialogue but you can see what's going on."

Lysander's primary lover, Hermia, will be played by Stevi Eby, who explained the "fun confusion" refered to by Sloan.

"It all starts off with me falling in love with Lysander but my father wants me to marry Demetrius who is also in love with me," she said. "And then my best friend is in love with Demetrius so eventually we all head out to the forest and somehow all of the fairies put spells on the boys and then no one wants me anymore and they all love Helena."

Produced by Sue Popesku with choreography by Shauna Milne, the play will be unique and unlike any other Shakespearian productions, said Eby.

A Midsummer Night's Dream opens Friday at 7 p.m. and runs Oct. 15, 20-22. Tickets are available at the North Peace Cultural Centre box office.

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