2023 National Tour
THE DREAM – GENERAL AUDIENCE
Written by: Adam Fresco
Fairies in the garden, manipulating spirits trying to outwit each other, hallucinogens and dancing around moonlit glades. Sounds like a New Age festival in Nelson? No.
It is the USC’s take on that classic Shakespearian fantasy.
People get lost in the woods. A fairy (?) manipulates their romantic affections and (in one case) anatomical head-shape. They put on a play.
Four Athenians run away to the forest only to have Puck the fairy make both of the boys fall in love with the same girl. The four run through the forest pursuing each other while Puck helps his master play a trick on the fairy queen. In the end, Puck reverses the magic, and the two couples reconcile and marry. Sound simple? Perfect for an intro to Shakespeare for new audiences or to reinforce the message with a comedy about one of Shakespeare’s comedies. The USC plays a group of actors playing a group of actors playing various roles including… yes, you guessed it, a group of actors. All the original humour of this piece plus the USC’s own interpretation in 50 easy minutes. No trigger warning here, only to warn about the laughs and fun your students (and you) will have in this fast paced rollick through the forest.
We invite you and your students to sit back or roll off your seats laughing at the 27th offering from the Ugly Shakespeare Company. So take the fear out of Shakespeare for your students. An excellent piece to use for NCEA exploring the aspects of various theatre elements as well as a fast paced comedic fifty minute version of these classic works!