-The Hi g,acres Collegian, Mayl7,
Highacre’s Production, of Shakespeare’
“A Night Dream” Delights Capacity
The realm of drama
can be as diverse as
life itself. On April
28, 29, and 30, a large
talented company of High
acres student? and fac
ulty presented one of
William Shakespeare's
most enchantingly diver
sified comedies "A Mid
summer's Night Dream" in
the upper level of the
Highacres Commons. It
was a triumphant evening
of theatre.
Dr. Laura Dill, of
our English Department
here, directed the play.
Jay Breckenridge was
Producer, and Jim White,
assistant Producer.
They were aided by these
Technical Producers:
Car] Frankel for sets
and costumes: Dave Orbin
for the lighting: Norma
Moyer for the May Dance
(and Recention)• and
Joseph Jumrieter for the
Madrigal Singers enter
tainment .'
While stage prop
erties, lighting, and
sound, the achievement
of each individual actor,
the mcko-un, etc. are
significant in a play,
as Joseph Baldwin of the
University of Nebraska
Theatre Department once
said: "Like a Person, a
play is more than the
sum of its parts; it has
an intangible feature
called "spirit." A
"spirit" can shine through
a homely face and make
it beautiful: a beautiful
face that is, a face
formed of beautiful
parts— with no "spirit"
Reviewed By PROFESSOR ANDREW KAFRA
looking tnrough, is only
a lifeless doll. So it
is with a play."
S , ,
Professor Laura
Dill has directed this
play, not only with a.
seasoned eye for fas
tidious detail, authen
ticity of the play's
Shakespearian contents
and language (she se
lected the famous and
preferred First Quarto
version of this play
the play was written in
1594-95), and the splen
did acting interpreta
tion from her cast of
twenty-one players, but
she has been successful
in creating and commu
nicating this "spirit"
with all its delightful
lighthearted dimensions
and fantasy as well as
'the quintessence of the'
romantic struggles of
the four young lovers.
(Brava, Laura Dill!)
What goes on in
this five-act play that
takes place in Athens,
Greece, 'can,be.revealed
through -three interre
lated developments:
irst, the loves of four
young people-LYSANDER
and HERMIA who love each
other, but whose love
is being thwarted by the
objections of Hermia's
father EGEUS; DEMETRIUS
who loves HERMIA, but
she loves loves him not:
and HELENA who loves
DIMETRIUS, but he loves
her not. Second, the
story line concerning
the quarrel of King
OBERON and his wife
Queen TITANTA of the
never-never realm of.
fairyland. They and
their company of fairies
have come from India to
bless the wedding of
the ruling Duke of
Athens, THESEUS to
HIPPOLYTA, Queen'of the
Amazons. The third.as
pect of plot concerns
the efforts of a group
of lbwer class crude
Athenian craftsmen who
want to produce and act
out a home-spun tragedy
which they have entitled
"The most lamentable
comedy and most cruel
death- of PYRAMUS and .
THISBY." This play
hese craftsmen wish to
present as part of the
entertainment at the
Duke's wedding.
HERMIA, played by
Sadie Richie: LYSANDER,
played by Ron Rienmiller:
HELENA, nlaued by Sandy
Randis: and DEMETRIUS,
played by Steve Schreuder
are splendidly cast as
the four troubled loyers,
acting- out their trials
and tribulations as V
they wander through- the
woods outside of Athens,.
They give winning per-’.,
formances. How percep
tibly Shakespeare ex
plains the plight of
the lovers. LYSANDER
philosophizes about the
course of true love to
HERMIA. As LYSANDER, ..
Ron Relnmiller spoke
these lines with superb
ronantic: ferver. Here
these lines are quoted :
(the words in brackets
are present-day meanings)
contiaued on page 17