A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

Let’s be honest, sometimes we all just want to grab the person we love most in the world by the hand and run into the nearest forest, leaving everyone and everything behind. It can seem like the perfect way to rid yourself of the worries and cares of city life, but as Shakespeare shows us, life in the forest brings with it its own share of troubles, confusion, heartbreak and betrayal. Why? Because of fairies, that’s why.

In the city of Athens, two young women, Hermia and Helena are in a heap of trouble because of love. Hermia is in love with the sweet Lysander, but her father demands that she marries the mean bully Demetrius, or live as a nun. This forces Hermia and Lysander to flee into the forest during the night. Helena on the other hand, is madly in love with Demetrius, who pays her no mind, so when she learns of Hermia’s escape, she tells Demetrius, and the two of them give chase.

Meanwhile, the Duke of Athens is getting married, and he has hired a group of players to entertain at the party. They decide to play the tragedy of Pyramus and Thisbe, with the foolish Nick Bottom playing the lead role, and so they go to the forest to rehearse.  

Unfortunately for the Athenians, the forest is home to Oberon, king of the fairies, and his queen Titania, who are in the middle of a marital spat. In order to humiliate Titania, Oberon orders his servant Puck to use an elixir to make Titania fall in love with the next thing she sees, and also to use the elixir to help the young lovers. However, since Puck is more trickster than help, this simple plan quickly devolves into absolute chaos.

Expect magic, misunderstandings and a man with a literal ass-head in this year’s Aalborg University Shakespeare Company production.