This document provides details on a group's design presentation for their production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. It includes the director's concept and vision, as well as sections on set design, costume design, and lighting design. The director aims to capture the whimsical and magical nature of the play in an expressionist style. The set design features panels that can transform the stage between the settings of Athens and the forest. Costume design draws from Elizabethan and Greek styles and incorporates special effects. Lighting focuses on creating a dream-like atmosphere through techniques like flickering lights and dim spotlights.
3. Selecting the Play: A Midsummer
Night’s Dream
As a director I would pick A Midsummer Night’s Dream not just
because it is one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays but because I
felt I could capture the whimsical and magical nature of the play and
bring it to life in a new way that hasn’t been seen before. It’s themes of
dreams, love, and the unknown are memorable and I feel as though
this play breaths Shakespeare like no other quite does.
4. Casting the Athenians
Kristin Chenoweth – Helena
Lee Pace – Demetrius
Anna Friel – Hermia
Tobey Maguire – Lysander
George Hearn – Oberon
Patti LuPone – Hippolyta
Len Cariou – Theseus
Timothy Dalton – Philostrate
Aaron Eckhart – Egeus
Swoosie Kurtz – Tifania
Chi Mcbride – Nedar
Robert Deniro – Spirit 1
Jack Nicholson – Spirit 2
With the Athenians I wanted actors who had experience working
together. For the lovers I wanted actors who had been lovers
before and for the older characters I wanted actors who had a
great deal of character about them. Kristin Chenoweth, Lee
Pace, Anna Friel and Tobey Maguire were actors who I felt have
done a great job capturing what its like to be in a romance that
is either forbidden or has obstacles. Chi Mcbride, Swoosie Kurtz,
George Hearn, Pattie LuPone, Len Cariou, Timothy Dalton, and
Aaron Eckhart are all actors who know how to portray
characters with a sense of self respect which is ideal for
characters who are supposed to lead. Robert Deniro and Jack
5. Casting the Fairies
Ellen Greene – Peasebottom
Shirley Douglass – Cobweb
Helen Mirran – Moth
Angela Lansbury – Mustardseed
Samni Hanratty – Fairy One
Caitlin Carmicheal – Fairty Two
For the Fairies I wanted consistently older actresses for the main ones.
Ellen Greene, Shirley Douglass, Helen Mirran, and Angela Lansberry
are all actresses who have a natural magic about them. Its
something you just can’t put into words but it fits the style of the play.
Samni Hanratty, and Caitlin Carmicheal are younger actresses who
fit the smaller roles perfectly. They just look like fairies.
6. Casting the Mechanicals
Peter O’Toole – Peter Quince
John Malchovich – Nick Bottom
Zac Efron – Francis Flute
Marc Pickering – Robin Starveling
Stephen Graham – Tom Snout
Travis Tope - Snug
For the mechanicals I wanted a mixture of well respected actors and very
talented young actors. Peter O’Toole and John Malchovich are a couple
of the best actors of the best sixty years and I feel they know how to bring
their characters to life easily. Zac Efron, Marc Pickering, and Travis Tope are
all excellent youthful actors and I feel they round out the acting troupe
nicely. I picked Stephen Graham because he has excessive charisma.
7. Spine: Pursuing Love and
Admiration
The basis for every action of the play is the pursuit of love and respect.
Many of the major character want this. The four main lovers are after,
of course, love while the mechanicals want admiration as they are
play actors. So with every character’s wants clearly defined the theme
of the play can be established and this will be built on in the style of the
play.
8. Theme: Forbidden Love
The play is full of love and obstacles to love. Hermia and
Lysander are forbidden to love each other and Helena is in
love with Demetrius who doesn’t love her back. This leads to
this overall message of the play that love always has
obstacles to overcome. This is something that needs to be
reflected by the style of the play.
9. Style: Expressionism
I want this play to be presented based on
emotion rather than logic. The play, of
course, has a plot and characters and
motivations and all of that must be
maintained but I want the overall design
of the play to reflect what the characters
are feeling more than where the
characters are.
10. The themes of the play are forbidden love, magic, the unknown, attempts to control, and
dreams. There should be this mood of uncertainty throughout everything as well as wonder.
The overall look of the play should make the whole thing feel other worldly as though we are
peering into someone’s dreams. The characters are all wanting for something that seems
beyond them whether it is love or it is admiration. Ancient Athens provokes this feeling of myth
already as it is home to much Greek mythology.
Directorial Concept
12. Picking the Venue: Proscenium Arch
Proscenium arch stage type
Will create “4th wall”
Non-realistic environment
Audience will be in different environment
Ease design constraints
Set transitions easier
Seamless costume changes
13. Athens Concepts
Set determines location/time
Location: Athens
Time Period: Ancient Greece
Greek architecture sets the tone
Rolling panels from side stage
Panels will cover tree elements
14. Athens Concepts Continued
Warm color scheme
Gold/bronze tones
Romantic, warm feel
Classic Greek
architecture
Fancy environment
for royal characters
15. Forest Concepts
Panels slide away to reveal
the tree at the center of the
woods
Tree is the focal point of the
scenes in the forest
Tree limbs are twisted to
create environment:
Mystical
Whimsical
Dreamy
16. Forest Concepts Continued
Lights coordinated to affect set’s mood
Colorful set is non-realistic, dream-like
Tree limbs are twisted to create environment:
Mystical, Whimsical, Dreamy
17. Forest Concepts – Finishing Touches
Whimsical lights hanging.
Resemble:
Twinkling Stars
Fireflies
Ferns elements on floor:
Off to the side
Will not disrupt actors
Hanging leaves
Elegant, breezy touch
18. Magical, Whimsical Tree
Central Tree:
Ability to move throughout play
Secured to rotating stand
Tree is:
Central Image
Visual Metaphor
19. Tree Concepts
Twisted tree branches
Mysterious, dramatic, and fantasy-filled
Fits with whimsical, dreamy look
20. Wedding Concepts
Original colors with added rich, royal colors
Beautiful adornments, happy decorations
Celebratory elements(True love has been found by all!)
21. Final Wedding Design
Design evolving
Embellishments added to original
Athenian set
Adornments added to remaining
tree fixtures
Solving set design problems
Incorporating past elements
Adding small touches
Setting the mood
Group wedding, romantic, happy!
23. Costume and Setting
Most Costumes will Have an Elizabethan style
Most will be from the 1590’s era
Will have hints of Greek style
Costumes will be similar to characters normal outfit
But slightly different due to their in a dream.
24. The Athenians
All Characters besides the Mechanicals and
Fairies
King Theseus and other royals will have a more
Elizabethan style Costume to denote royalty
Hermia, Demetrius, and other sons and
daughters will have a more modern costume
to Denote Youth
Hippolyta will have a more exotic costume to
Accentuate that she is from Africa
25. The Athenians (Cont.’d)
Towards End of Play, The Athenians will transform Costumes
Costumes will be White, Floaty Romantic Era Costumes
Floatiness will cause a more Dreamy like effect
26. The Mechanicals
Peter Quince, Snug, Nick Bottom, Francis Flute,
Tom Snout, Robin Starveling
Portrayed in play as Comical but not very smart
Will be costumed in Commedia Del'Arte for the
“silly clown” style
27. The Mechanicals (Cont.d)
When THE Mechanicals are in the “play
within a play”
Costumes parts will be added
Such as Snout as “Wall” or Snug as “Lion”
Made out of thick cotton and dyes
28. The Fairies
Composed of the members of FairyLand
Ancient Greek Style
LED lights Will be added for Whimsical Effect
29. The Fairies (Cont.’d)
Costumes Made out of Mostly Silk and
Leather
Lots of Greenery Added to accentuate the
Earthy and Natural connection of Fairies
30. Costume Movement
The royals will have elegant , and large costumes since Fast
movement is not as needed
The Fairies will be light clothing since they will be moving
around a lot more
Mechanicals costume will be thick but flowing To accentuate
Clumsiness
31. Extra Costume Effects
Mechanicals will have horns and bells That go off when a clumsy
Action happens
Fairies will have Sparkles, Lights, and shiny clothes Lining to further
accentuate the Whimsical Effect.
33. Act 1, Scene 1
Fire with the torches will create a
warm light, shadows will be well
defined. Flickering since it is
flame.
Once Lysander leaves, Helena
waits at front center stage. The
background fades to black and
the spotlight is on her. This will
allow for crew to change
scenes.
34. Act 1, Scene 2
Same thought process as the
Palace
Sunlight through the windows.
Spotlights on actors
End scene with a fade to
black
35. Act 2, Scene 1
Scene opens with the flickering of lightning bugs.
Lit jewels in the trees to add dream-like effect. The
dark blue background lighting.
Actors have lanterns that will light them up and
cause the audience to follow them. Thus dimly and
warmly lit.
Fairies have whimsical lighting in their costumes.
Scene fades to black as the party talks, then they
exit with the lanterns.
36. The Flower
The flower will be lit
and add to the
dreamy atmosphere
37. Act 2, Scene 2
Fade into the scene with the dark blue, the
tree jewels, the fairies glow, and the lightning
bugs twinkle.
Titania enters with lanterns
Dim spotlight on each character as they go
on and off stage.
At the end of the scene, spotlight on Hermia.
Everything in background fades to black, and
upon her exit, spotlight turns off.
38. Act 3, Scene 1
Scene starts by fading in the background
lighting, dim spotlight on Titana.
The rest of the actors come on stage with
lanterns, but instead of the lanterns
creating the light, put a group spotlight
on them. They will then put the lanterns
down in a semi-circle so that way the
spotlight can create the dim lighting.
Fade to black at the end of the scene
39. Act 3, Scene 2
Fade in, Spotlight on Oberon
Puck enters with lanterns
Scene backlit dark blue, gradually fades
into red during the sword fight scene. At
the end of the fight, switch back to dark
blue, no fade to increase effect.
Background fades to black. In the
foreground, Puck goes to Lysander, the
spotlight focused on them, and then the
spotlight cuts at Puck’s exit.
40. Act 4, Scene 1
Fade the background lighting, dim
spotlight on those asleep.
Everyone that enters will carry lanterns,
while there is a dim spotlight on Oberon,
who is in the back.
As Oberon comes to the front, spotlight
brightens to make him the focus.
As group talks, spotlight focuses on them,
then follows their exit.
Background fades to black and single
spotlight on Bottom, cuts off at his exit.
41. Act 4, Scene 2
Torches and fire light the room
Fade to black as the actors exit
42. Act 5, Scene 1
The palace is lit with soft, bright white
light.
Little to no shadows
At the end, Puck moves front, center
stage and as he says his last words,
the background fades to black and
he is left in the spotlight that cuts off
while he is still standing there.
43. “So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands, if we
be friends,
And Robin shall restore
amends.”
