A Midsummer Night’s Dream
“It seems to me that yet we sleep”
As a BYU Young Company production, this show of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream needs to be portable to travel to dozens of elementary and middle schools in the state. The director’s concept for this show is a sleepover hosted by Puck, a young pre-teen going through a difficult life transition.
Both to serve the purpose of being a sleepover and allowing for quick, portable transitions, I went with a blanket fort design. When we layer the blankets with differing weights/materials, we can quickly pull the layers off for fast and magical transitions! Because we can’t expect consistent lighting in most school auditoriums, this will also allow for nearly instant and comprehensive changes to the color palette. All of the structural components are fully foldable and ready to pack up at a moment’s notice.
To see the final results, see the gallery below. You will find the process from conception, to first drafts, to all stages of construction in between. For prop work on this show, see the page for A Midsummer Night’s Dream under the props tab.
Learning Through Play
One of the most important aspects emphasized by our director was the idea of learning through play. The audience for this play is children in late elementary/middle school. This is an age at which kids start to think they are too old for play, but this show emphasizes the importance of play regardless of age. With touches like a trampoline hidden within a pillow pile, this show is designed to show how play and discovery are always the best way to learn.
