Events

After the huge success of Annie and Grease, this year, the school production took a turn for the traditional with William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Twining together three very different, and rather complex storylines, it is Shakespeare's ode to just how ridiculous we can all be when love is the prize.

While some members of the audience may have been apprehensive about getting to grips with the language, they needn't have worried; the cast were funny, charming and witty in their performances and their understanding of the play made it a triumph. From the rigid structure of the Athenian Court to the madness of the forest, every member of this relatively young cast was engaging to watch.

James Mileham and Tavian Qazi were outstanding as Lysander and Demetrius, creating complex characters that were just as capable of being heartfelt as they were hilariously fickle in their affections, while Lucy White and Maddi Eddy's Helena and Hermia were beautifully adapted for a modern audience. The course of true love may not have run smooth, but we were all thrilled to see the two couples united by the end.

The magic at the heart of the play was brought to life by a stunning cast of fairies. From Etta Williams and Hannah Keenan's tempestuous fairy monarchs, Oberon and Titania, to the ethereal chorus of spirits whose costumes and whispered words built the enchanted world of the forest and accentuated the stunning set and lighting choices.

Of course, no review of A Midsummer Night's Dream would ever be complete without a mention of Puck. Lily Jellett and Alice Whelan performed simultaneously and were delightfully mischievous in bringing this oft quoted character to life in an unconventional manner.

Reprising her star-marking turn from Annie, Betty Stivarius just might have been upstaged by the hilarious Rude Mechanicals. Led by the ever-incompetent Bottom (Oliver Murphy), the would-be actors bumbled their way through a side-splitting rendition of Pyramus and Thisbe and proved to be the prefect climax to the play; superb comic timing, wonderful sight-gags and some of the best deliberately bad acting Dane Court has ever seen.

Mr Stanley, Mrs Foulis and Miss McWilliam would like to thank everyone who was involved with the production for all their hard work and dedication; it was a marvellous piece of theatre.