A fabulous fiesta of A Midsummer Night’s Dream

On 28 March, a group of J2 (Year 4) pupils took part in the world’s largest youth drama festival, performing an abridged and a re-imagined version of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Floral Pavilion Theatre in New Brighton. 

The J2 Theatre Club, led by Mrs Parker, were excited to be a part of the Coram Shakespeare Festival, which annually gives hundreds of children an opportunity to perform Shakespeare plays to live audiences in professional theatres across the UK.

The festival gives children an opportunity to work together to create modern-day interpretations of Shakespeare, and the J2s began work on their version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in September last year. 

Mrs Parker: “We began exploring the plot, characters and drama conventions very early on in the year and I was immediately impressed with how the children engaged with the play, and their grasp on the unfamiliar Shakespearean language. 

“Our next task was to re-imagine A Midsummer Night’s Dream and decide on our theme.

“Drawing on South American and Hispanic heritage in the cast, we chose to set our version of the play in Mexico, giving it a Day of the Dead theme. Not only did this enable us to create a visually exciting production, but it also gave us an opportunity to incorporate some Spanish language into our adaptation.”

Many weeks of rehearsals and set design followed, including sessions facilitated by the festival organisers. 

On the final day of Lent term, the children took their version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream to the Floral Pavillion Theatre. Performing alongside three other schools, they celebrated months of hard work with a triumphant performance in front of parents, friends and teachers. 

All performances on the evening were appraised by the festival organisers. They praised the J2s for their strong, articulate voices and were impressed with their command of the Shakespearean language, as well as their inclusion of Spanish in Titania’s lines and through the songs performed by actor musician Zak. 

They said: “The live music gave authenticity to your theme and was a wonderful and joyous addition to your play. The audience definitely went un poco loco for your Day of the Dead Dream. 

“It was a fabulous fiesta of a Midsummer Night’s Dream, performed by a clearly spoken and colourful cast.”

After the Easter holidays, the cast revived their roles to perform again, this time for their classmates and teachers in the Vanbrugh Theatre. 

Mrs Parker commended the cast on their hard work, and congratulated them on two impressive performances. 

She said: “This has been a great experience for the children, introducing them to Shakespeare and giving them an opportunity to develop a range of skills.

“They are a talented bunch but this went beyond acting; they pushed themselves to master the Shakespearean language and work together to create a piece of theatre that I could only have dreamed of at the beginning of the process.”

Click on the first image to view this gallery of pictures taken during the performance in the Vanbrugh Theatre: