Even though Shakespeare may be known for his tragedies, such as Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet, he is also known for his comedies. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s more famous comedies. And on Thursday, March 9, a group of actors from New Jersey, known as Shakespeare LIVE!, gave a very entertaining spin on the classic.
UMPI’s Weiden auditorium was full of people eager to see Shakespeare’s classic performed live on a stage in their community. Rachel Rice, Director of Community and Media Relations at UMPI, gave a brief introduction before the show started. “This is such an amazing-sized crowd for this production tonight,” Rice said. And indeed, the actors had a room full of people to deliver to.
The performance consisted of 10 actors, and since there were more characters in the play than there were actors, the actors played multiple characters. They effectively used humor in their portrayals, and the audience was moved to laughter many times. The play was energetic and lighthearted, and the actors did justice to the original story as told by Shakespeare.
After the play, the audience got a chance to ask the actors some questions. The actors told a bit about their work and how they like performing for different audiences and age groups. They were engaging and were eager to answer any questions people had.
The audience really seemed to enjoy the play. Meghan Legassie, a third-year student at UMPI, found the play very entertaining. “The actors were just awesome, I thought,” she said. “They had fun up there.”
Tiffany Smith, a first-year UMPI student, also attended the play and really enjoyed it. “I thought it was really amazing,” she said. She enjoyed the humor and the experience. “I just liked the overall show,” Smith added.
Shakespeare LIVE! gave the UMPI community a chance to see a classic brought to life in their own town. It was a blend of culture and art, and it was an experience that could be enjoyed by everyone.
