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  • 1.  Mid-summer Night’s Dream

    Posted 02-02-2022 07:55
    I am hoping to preform Mid-summer Nights Dream with my high school students. However I am short on boys. Looking for suggestions from those who have faced this dilemma. Also looking for an one hour or so version. 


  • 2.  RE: Mid-summer Night’s Dream

    Posted 02-03-2022 05:19
    Puck often portrayed by a female actor.
    I cast Lysander as a female character when we did the show 4 years ago- which meant that Hermia’s father was trying to keep her out of a female – female relationship. We also included the first same gender kiss on stage at our school.

    I believe you could cast any of the male characters with female actors, without changing the gender of the character. In Shakespeare’s Time they cast the show with all male actors, you could do just the opposite.

    Becky Beth Benedict
    Actor/Director/Theatre Educator
    (860)490-6625
    Beckybeth@juno.com
    Twitter: BeckyBethB



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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Mid-summer Night's Dream

    Posted 02-03-2022 09:37
    When I first started teaching at a girls' boarding school, I struggled with casting until I made peace with the fact that Shakespeare had to cast males in all of his productions.  I've directed 'Dream' several times with both Middle and Upper School students.  Creative blocking and movement can help in more conservative areas.  That said, the play can be performed without kissing or overly erotic love scenes.  There are a series of 60-minute Shakespeare plays by Cass Foster that are quite wonderful.

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    Dennis Foreman
    Theater Arts Teacher
    Linden Hall School
    PA
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Mid-summer Night’s Dream

    Posted 02-03-2022 11:39
    You only need the 5 boys for the 2 lovers, Oberon bottom and the king. All others can be played by girls. I've done the play twice - once set at an 80s prom and one with a Steampunk setting. It's so fun.  I used the script from 90 Minute Shakespeare. I recently saw a college production where they used no set. It was great. 


    Amy Sando
    Drama and English Teacher
    Douglas High School
    Douglas County School District
    775-782-5136 x1772/1775

    This message and its contents are confidential. If you received this message in error, do not use or rely upon any information contained in this email.   Instead, please inform the sender and then delete it.



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  • 5.  RE: Mid-summer Night’s Dream

    Posted 02-03-2022 13:55
    I did a Midsummer with very few males this fall. We just did gender-blind casting. All of my mechanicals except for Flute were played by girls and dressed as girls, for the most part, they just kept the names: Nick, Tom, Peter, etc. No one seemed to have a problem with it. I also had a female Lysandra so we played up a same-sex romance for her and Hermia, the community had no problem with that either. I reversed the Titania and Oberon characters- Titania was still female, but Oberon was played by a non-binary actor. 

    You can make almost anything work ��

    Have fun! 
    Elisa Griffin
    Westlake HS Theatre



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  • 6.  RE: Mid-summer Night's Dream

    Posted 02-03-2022 14:33
    Shakespeare is great for gender-flexible casting, so I think you could do a great Midsummer without needing to cast many young men. Theseus, Egeus, Oberon, and Puck definitely don't need to be played by men or as men. Demetrius and Lysander could be played by any gender, as men (or not, if you don't mind adjusting the language somewhat). The mechanicals can be played by any gender, as any gender for sure!

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    Sullivan Mackintosh
    Drama Advisor/Theater Director
    Canby Union High School
    OR
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Mid-summer Night's Dream

    Posted 02-03-2022 15:09
      |   view attached
    A Midsummer Night's Dream is wonderful for gender-blind casting.  If you live in a very conservative area, use your available males as Lysander, Demetrius, Theseus, and Francis Flute.  (The funny is just not as funny if Flute is played by a female.)  Theseus and Oberon are often played by the same actor, although I think Oberon works when played by a female. 

    I've directed Midsummer four times in three states.  At some point, I have cast each Rude Mechanical besides Flute with a female actor, dressing all of the RM's in male peasant clothing of knee britches, peasant shirts, and some sort of vest.  I have used 3 female Pucks, 1 male.

    Another fabulous thing about Midsummer is that you can use all of those girls who desperately want to get onto that stage!  In addition to casting females in gender-blind roles, I have cast up to a dozen fairies, using tunes composed by a student for the songs and including dance.  It is a great opportunity to teach students how to give focus and actively listen, as well as work as an ensemble.

    I am attaching my slightly abridged version.  It is formatted to be printed as 5 1/2" X 4 1/4" scripts.  Spend your money on costumes.

    ------------------------------
    CJ Breland
    Retired Theatre Arts Educator
    NC
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    Attachment(s)

    doc
    MIDSUMMER - Breland.doc   123 KB 1 version
    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Mid-summer Night's Dream

    Posted 02-03-2022 15:59
    I did A Midsummer Night's Dream this fall. I have the same problem. I found that it was quite easy to play many characters female or even non-binary and change the pronoun from "he" to "she" or "they" or "them". All still have 1 syllable so they do not disrupt the iambic pentameter. In fact, making the mechanicals female or non-binary was quite easy because they are all written in prose.
    Our males in male roles were quite few. Oberon, Demetrius, Lysander, Flute, Egeus. We did play Theseus and Bottom as non-binary. Everyone else was played as female.

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    Benjamin Brotzman
    Drama Teacher | Theatre Manager
    Saratoga High School
    CA
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    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Mid-summer Night's Dream

    Posted 02-03-2022 16:44
      |   view attached
    Gender-blind is super-easy with this piece. With mine, I put a note in the program that any character wearing blue was to be considered 'male' and any character wearing pink or red was to be considered 'female.' Nobody questioned it and it was pretty fun. I am attaching my hour-long version--it keeps the language of the original, the mechanicals, Pyramus and Thisbe, etc...I managed to cut out some roles so the cast isn't so incredibly massive. If you want to use my version, let me know!

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    Andrea Rassler
    Northwest Cabarrus High School
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    Attachment(s)

    pdf
    Midsummer_1-Act_Version_BLIND.pdf   263 KB 1 version
    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Mid-summer Night's Dream

    Posted 02-04-2022 08:18
    The mechanicals can easily be gender bent. The frame story as well. It's not accurate but the Duke could easily be a Duchess and the parent figures could be women.
    It's fun if Flute is a guy, and Bottom, but the others could be women. It ALWAYS delivers and kids will be shocked at the sexuality you can get away with in the name of Shakespeare.

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    Nell] [Lynch]
    Notre Dame Preparatory School
    MDMaggie
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    Original Message


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