The Bow Valley High School’s performing arts class and dance class will be presenting Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream starting tonight, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. at the high school.
There will also be two more performances, at 7 p.m. on Dec. 4 and at 1 p.m. on Dec. 5.
One of Shakespeare’s comedies, the play tells the story about events surrounding the Duke of Athens’ marriage.
Anyone expecting an exact portrayal of the classic play will be slightly disappointed – the class has modernized the look of the play while staying true to the original lines.
“We are using the script from (Shakespeare’s) original play, but instead of dressing Shakespearian, we are modernizing the wear,” said Lynay Wuthrich, a Grade 11 student and the play’s assistant director.
“We tried to (create) a modern esthetic of the characters, but the setting will still be the same,” said Carly Wurz, a Grade 10 student performing in the play.
The performing arts class and the school’s dance class took this project on in early September, with practices nearly every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, so the group is eager to see it all come together.
“This is different for (the actors) – a lot of them have never had the experience of (performing) a Shakespeare play, which is very exciting,” said Katie Howse, the first-year drama teacher at the school directing the play.
In total there are more than 40 students participating in the production of this play including actors, dancers, and set crew.
“We are quite tight as a unit,” said Wurz.
“This is my first (time) being assistant director and I absolutely love it, especially since the cast and the crew are so kind and warming,” said Wuthrich.
Howse encourages everyone to come see the play, Shakespeare-enthusiast or not.
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a very child-friendly and family-friendly Shakespeare piece, so even though it’s still in the language of Shakespeare which is scary for people, it’s easy to understand and easy to follow,” said Howse.
“There’s lot of magic, fairytales, and love in the story so it’s a fun one to watch for the whole family.”
Tickets for the performance, which are $10 for adults and $5 for youth and seniors, can be purchased in advance at the school office or at the door on the night of the shows.
