Mischievous fairies and love potions may sound like things of fantasy, but they will come to UW-Whitewater today.
Aquila Theater Company, based in New York City, will present Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” tonight at the Young Auditorium. The play, which revolves around the Duke of Athens, his family, a fairy court and a troupe of traveling actors, is a comedy about love and family ties.
The cast is made up of seven actors, each taking on two or three roles. According to Owen Young, who plays Lysander, Francis Flute and Mustardseed, taking on multiple roles for a play is a challenging but rewarding experience.
“It’s all in the challenge. So playing two or three roles that are all very different is a great challenge physically and vocally,” Young said. “The choices the characters make are all very different. You don’t just get to transform into one person, but three people. The audience recognizes you each time you come out as someone else and they seem to really enjoy it.”
Some might see Shakespeare as daunting and be intimidated by the show, but according to Young’s fellow cast member, Emily Jordan, who portrays Hermia, Robin Starveling and Peaseblossom, Shakespeare’s language and themes are actually very relevant today.
“The scenes are as relevant now as they were when they were written,” Jordan said. “Even the language the mechanicals used is far more modern than you would expect it to be. They’re just real people. The language is universal. There are plenty of modern plays that are quite ancient in their language. Sometimes they are easy to understand, sometimes they’re not. I genuinely think that Shakespeare is relevant today. The themes are the same as they were 400 years ago.”
While performing these plays around the United States Jordan also gives master classes.
“We taught one the other day and told the students that what we really wanted to pass on to them was that Shakespeare is not something to be scared of,” Jordan said. “A lot of people think of Shakespeare and automatically assume they won’t understand the text, but it’s not really that at all.”
Aquila was formed in 1991 with the intent to create modern interpretations of classical plays. They draw cast members from and tour all around the world. Their mission, according to Young, is “to bring the greatest works to the greatest number.”
Tickets for the performance are available in advance at the ticket offices located in the Greenhill Center of the Arts or the University Center, or just before the show at the ticket office inside the Young Auditorium. The show begins at 7:30 p.m.
