RESEARCH – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

What knowledge and information will you need to find and use so that you can be successful in this project?

As I am performing in Theatre In Education, it will be useful for myself that I have an insight as to how these are formatted throughout and how professional companies choose to tackle these types of performances. Following on from this, I will need knowledge and information on my character, including their background, personality traits, connections with other characters, status, likes, dislikes mannerisms, pace and proxemics. Additionally, I will need to gather information on the plot, setting, past, present and future possibilities with every character involved in the play and their changes. Also, I will need information on the culture of Athens, Shakespeare and his background as well as the time that our performance was set in. These will all help us as individuals to form a very strong plot, base and play as a whole. This will immediately make our accuracy stronger, giving us more conviction as well as detailed and strong intent/understanding behind everything we are saying. Everything listed here and referenced will help us as a company to build everything up through stages to have the best chances at leaving a positive impact when working on Theatre In Education. Finally, specific to TIE as a whole, we will need to have a look at workshopping with the younger children. The children’s ages will be anything from in the range of KS2 and KS3. Either before or after we perform to the children, we will be running a Worksop with them based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This means that we need to take any notes at given opportunities when watching others as well as taking constant feedback from Erica and Poppy when we are looking at anything related to working and developing our content that will be ran with the younger students. Personally, I think that all of these aspects will link to our success as we will have so much to build from and develop throughout this project all together. If we didn’t research these aspects then I think that it would be very noticeable when we are performing as a group as we would be lacking all of the smallest details and refinements.

How are you using the knowledge and information you have become aware of?

I am going to apply all of this knowledge and following information in my work and performance throughout the process and do this as much as I can. Specific ways I can use this knowledge is to put all of these details into my character itself and use this to improve my characterisation. It is very important that I put this information to use and improve my accuracy behind any performance elements included in the play we are performing. Additionally, I can also use this knowledge in the other aspects of written work that need to be completed alongside the performance elements of this project. If I use this knowledge for both of these aspects then I have more chance of developing them alongside each other, constantly improving my ideas, answers and implications of them. I am also aware that if I update and consistently develop my answers throughout the process, I stand a better chance at being able to have the most detailed acknowledgment at what is going on as we work through the play. If I didn’t use everything positively that I have found out,  I may find that my smallest details and awareness of the culture and production in general would be lacking supporting work, which could cause general problems for myself and other company members.

Find out as much information as you can about the show you have been cast in and about the author (s). This might include looking at reviews from other performances, YouTube clips, films, books etc. It might include looking at other examples of their work. Why will this research help you with your own performance?

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a play written for comedic purposes by William Shakespeare anytime between the two years of 1595 and 1596. The play is specifically built around the base of Theseus, who carries out the role of the Duke Of Athens who has an eventful and complex marriage with the previous Queen Of The Amazons (Hippolyta). The play and performance on the whole pursues the stories within the adventures of the Athenian couples, Lysander, Demetrius, Helena and Hermia and their parents involvements. However, there are small complications in the way as the fairies, Puck and Oberon manipulate these characters and the six mechanicals: Bottom, Mustardseed, Cobweb, Snug, Flute and Quince. Following on from this, we see the Mechanicals work as they perform a play within a play to the community of Athens and the lovers story comes to an end (Wikipedia 2019).

William Shakespeare

See the source image The Actor, Playwright and Director William Shakespeare was born in the country of England in April 1964 and even though the exact date is not recognised and known, his date of birth is celebrated and seen to be the 23rd April. He was born at the place of Stratford- Upon- Avon on this date, where a permanent settle appeared in the Middle ages, giving it all its history and presence (Shakesphere.org.uk 2019).

His baptism is shown to have been at Holy, Trinity Church, in the town and city of his place of birth. The date of this recorded is the 26th April, three days after his recorded birthday. At this time, it was commenced that no child could be baptised any later than the first Sunday after their birth (Shakespeare.org.uk 2019).

Stratford- Upon- Avon

This is not set as an ancient town, only set by the standards of English terms and it wasn’t a permanent settlement until the middle-Ages. Additionally, the first people to be classed as “Stratfordians” were the group of people who were classed as the ‘Hwiccas’ due to their cultural and tribal beliefs. However, this was soon changed and adapted into an Anglo Saxon Kingdom in the sixth century, hence the name “Stratford- Upon Avon” (Shakespeare.org.uk 2019).

Education:

Shakespeare began his education at one of the “Petty” or “junior” schools in his area of Stratford. But, from the age of 7 he went to The “New King’s School”, where there would have been a major focus on Latin writing. It is recognised for him to have left school between the ages of fourteen and fifteen.

  • Shakespeare’s plays are seen to be taught and reinforced in education today as they introduced all features of the curriculum from this period of time

(RSC 2019)

Shakespeare’s play’s:

Comedies

  • All’s Well That Ends Well
  • As You Like It
  • Comedy of Errors
  • Love’s Labour’s Lost
  • Measure for Measure
  • Merchant of Venice
  • Merry Wives of Windsor
  • Midsummer Night’s Dream
  • Much Ado about Nothing
  • Taming of the Shrew
  • Tempest
  • Twelfth Night
  • Two Gentlemen of Verona
  • Winter’s Tale

Histories

  • Henry IV, Part I
  • Henry IV, Part II
  • Henry V
  • Henry VI, Part I
  • Henry VI, Part II
  • Henry VI, Part III
  • Henry VIII
  • King John
  • Pericles
  • Richard II
  • Richard III

Tragedies

  • Antony and Cleopatra
  • Coriolanus
  • Cymbeline
  • Hamlet
  • Julius Caesar
  • King Lear
  • Macbeth
  • Othello
  • Romeo and Juliet
  • Timon of Athens
  • Titus Andronicus
  • Troilus and Cressida

(Open Source Shakespeare 2019)

However, the plague spread in 1593 causing theatres to close!

  • When the theatres closed, Shakespeare switched to writing poetry
  • “In 1594, Shakespeare became a founding member, actor, playwright and shareholder of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men”
  • Nobody knows why Shakespeare left London or what his choices were before becoming an actor.
  • Shakespeare lived a life of very high wealth: buying new place, one of the largest properties in Stratford, inherited two houses on Henley Street, gave 320 pounds to William Combe for 107 acres of land, brought a cottage in Chapel Lane and bought a half-interest in a lease of many tithes which gave him a large annual interest.

(RSC 2019)

His last years:

  • March 25th 1616: revised and signed will
  • April 23rd 1616: suspected death
  • April 25th 1616:  buried at Holy Trinity Church, Stratford
  • Shakespeare’s plays were produced and released 7 years after his death.

” John Hemminge and Henry Condell (two actors from The King’s Company) had Shakespeare’s plays published by William Jaggard and his son, Isaac. This first folio contained 36 plays and sold for £1″.

(RSC 2019)

Facts:

  • “He married Anne Hathaway when he was only 18
  • He wrote 38 plays and 154 sonnets
  • Their first child, Susanna was born six months after their marriage
  • They later had two twins, Hamnet and Judith
  • Shakespeare had seven brothers and sisters
  • Shakespeare worked as an actor, writer and co-owner of a drama company called the ‘Lord Chamberlain’s Men’- Later known as the King’s Men” (Biography online 2019).

Shakespeare’s Family:

Shakespeare’s Mother

See the source imageMary Shakespeare was the mum to William Shakespeare, born in 1537 and passing away in 1608. She was one of eight siblings, daughter of farmer Robert Arden, she inherited land from her father when he died and the house was given to her stepmother Agnes Hill. Mary married her husband  John Shakespeare in 1557, at the age of 20. She had many children, first of which was born the year after she married her husband when she was only 21 years of age. Additionally, after a couple of their children’s deaths they would rename their newest child with that name, a clear example of this is their first and third daughter both being called Joan (Wikipedia 2019) 

His siblings included: Joan, Gilbert, Edmund, Anne, Richard and Margaret. Due to illness, the two sisters born before William passed away due to illness, followed by another afterwards due to similar reasonings.

Shakespeare’s Father

Image result for john shakespeareJohn Shakespeare:

John was born sometime in the 1520’s which isn’t specifically stated. His father was Richard Shakespeare who lived two miles from William’s birth place in Snitterfield. John began to gain and purchase property in Stratford- Upon- Avon. He was wed to Marry Arden in 1557 and had 8 children, including William himself. He held a trade as one of the 22 glove- makers in Stratford as these were in very high demand at this time. He also held the profession as a “Whittawer”, making his own leather from the skins of different animals. Shakespeare himself portrays some recognition of his father’s craft, for example he references ‘a glover’s paring knife’ in The Merry Wives of Windsor, (Shakespeare. org.uk 2019).

Reviews on A Midsummer Night’s Dream:

“A new production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Shakespeare’s Globe is touching and joyously inventive, says Charles Spencer,  4 out of 5 stars”

“This a joyously inventive and touching production of The Dream, a work that seems particularly close to Shakespeare’s heart”

(The Telegraph 31st May 2013)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/10091927/A-Midsummer-Nights-Dream-Shakespeares-Globe-review.html

“Fizzing with humour, charm, and just a touch of chaos”

“An overall sense of sheer fun that’s both rare and refreshing, FOUR STAR

(The Stage, May 15th 2018)

https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/2018/midsummer-nights-dream-review-watermill-theatre-newbury-tyrone-huntley/

https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-midsummer-nights-dream-2018

YouTube Videos related to my character specifics:

Personally, taking research from reviews and related videos online are very helpful. This gives me an insight to how others view certain performances and what they appreciated hugely and what they may have liked to have been different. Similarly, when viewing videos we can see actors different interpretations of certain scenes and then make a decision using our knowledge and all that we have gained from this on what will have the most success and accuracy.

Find out as much information as you can about the performance style you will be working in. What are the key features of this style? 

We are performing in the style of Theatre In Education. There are many features of this style which link and indicate that we are performing to KS3 and KS2 students specifically. It is crucial that we are aware of the features and imply the highest detail so that our accuracy is on point. Following on from this, the required information I am about to find can help us to develop our performance and play as a whole because we will be more aware of our specific style and how this affects the audience and our target when delivering the performance. Similarly, we will be aware of what is successful and what may not work with the children and ourselves when putting on a play like this.

What is Theatre In Education?

“Theatre in Education (TIE) is a process in which it includes all the interactive theatre/drama practices that help aid the educational process. As TIE is used, new strategies and objectives for using theatre as an educational tool emerge. It includes the interactive theatre practices that helps student in their educational process (learning)”- Wikipedia 2019, Applied Drama

What are the key features of this style?

  • The workshop
  • Different performance spaces each time
  • Minimal set and stage design
  • Performing to a lower eye level
  • Shakespeare
  • “There is a clear aim and educational objective running throughout.
  • A small cast so actors must be versatile and often have to multi-role.
  • A low budget so actors often play instruments too.
  • The production must be portable so the design is simple and representational.
  • They explore issues from various viewpoints, so we can see the effect of an action
  • upon a range of people.
  • There is some level of audience involvement.
  • They are rarely wholly naturalistic because direct address or narration is used to
  • engage the audience.
  • The costumes are simple and representational, especially if actors have to multi
  • role.
  • They may include facts and figures to educate the audience.
  • They may have a strong message or moral running throughout”.(BBC Bitesize 2019)

Why is Theatre In Education Used?

“Theatre in education is used to encourage effective learning in schools. It calls for careful consideration of the audience’s age and requirements in order to engage them and get the message across.” BBC Bitesize 2019

Theatre In Education is used to educate the younger children. In our words, we are trying to teach them and show them that Shakespeare is not scary, but is fun and he teaches us morals in every one of his pieces.

The Background Of Theatre In Education:

It all began after WW2 as people were discussing and thinking about what might be the best way to effectively teach children in schools. A Theatre Centre was founded in 1953 by Brian Way who was a very early practitioner. Himself and Gordon Vallins teamed up and “established TIE at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry in 1965”. This was the work which then spread vastly (BBC Bitesize 2019)

The idea of this all became very popular as they liked the understanding of having a smaller audience who can be easily encouraged to take part in any activities, which would be where the idea of work-shopping came into play. These activities and set up, functioned and put on because of the teachers influence and response when central companies reach out to them (BBC Bitesize 2019)

What will you need to emphasise / work on to pull off this style effectively?

It is very important that as the performers on this TIE tour, we are very aware and have a high understanding of what the key features in a performance like this are. We are going to need to work on our character development, so that they are very straight forward and can be easily understood from the perspective of a younger child. Additionally, we will all need to be able to perform with the required skills and qualities of Theatre In Education and dedicate our performance to the younger students and encourage them to get involved in the performance and workshop to either begin or close our visit. As actors, we will all need to have the same understanding and be able to run the workshop if necessary, we need to be working as a team to be successful throughout and all have the same insight and input.

How are you going to use this information to develop your performance?

I am going to use this information to develop my performance as I will now know what elements will need to be tailored to be performing on a TIE tour compared to just performing this to a scheduled and paying audience. I will have a look and compare any TIE performances on the internet to a general show I have watched before, compare the similarities and differences, look at the features of TIE I have written down and think about how (as a cast and company this can be introduced into our work).

Find out as much as you can about the period your production is set in; what was going on in the world, what was important to them, how did their society work etc.

1594: Henry, the Bourbon King Of Navarre has converted the protestant religion to Catholic and lengthened his power to reaching Paris. He is crowned King and is now France’s first Bourbon Monarch.

1595: William Shakespeare is busy writing many of his plays, beginning to devote more to the people and society than to God.

1598: In his second attempt to conquest Korea, Hideyoshi has failed and is sent to his death, leaving an order for his forces to withdraw from the country.

1598: The wars of religion are over in France and the protestants and catholics are becoming more understanding of each others placements proclaimed in the Edict of Nantes by France’s Henry IV.

1600: Giordano Bruno, the Italian philosopher, is burned at the stake.

1600: “Queen Elizabeth of England charters the British East India Company to compete with the Dutch, who control the trade in nutmeg from the Banda Islands”

(World History Timeline 2019)

From the website World History Timeline, I could see and learn more about what was happening around the time A Midsummer Night’s Dream was first performed. This may have had an impact on society, how frequently they went to the theatre, what their views of this now were and how peaceful their daily lives were.

“The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I” Wikipedia 2019Image result for elizabethan society

The social structure in Elizabethan England:

  1. 1. The Queen
  2. 2. The Court
  3. 3. Merchants
  4.  The livery companies
  5. Apprentices
  6. Other Employments
  7. The poor

Shakespeare Articles 2019

At this time, Elizabeth 1 was the queen of England, carrying a protestant religion. This was one of the biggest problems she faced as it was inevitable that not all of her people would be happy. This could cause great division in the community and sometimes major problems. This would have been a large contributing factor as to whether people attended the theatre and how much. The public’s relationship with their monarch could affect many aspects of society.

The problems happening around the world would have mostly effected the government and not as much the community unless it was raised as a major problem in society.

The Plague Outbreak:

The theatre was only really majorly effected by the plague. The great plague in London broke out in the period of April 1665 and September 1666. This was a large outbreak and in England alone took between 75,000 – 100,000 lives which was approximately 20% of London’s population at the time (Bing 2019)

They had to close theatres in 1592 as so many people passed away because of this wicked disease. The theatre’s were so desperate for actors and actress’ but whenever they hired the ill, this would have a major impact on the audience (Answers.Com). This is when Shakespeare took his turn and began to look into poetry.

Uta Hagen’s 9 Questions

  •  Who am I?

Puck, also known as Robin Good fellow, a mischievous Sprite who is under control of Oberon who is the Fairy King. I am the character who creates all of the problems for the lovers, splitting couples up and twisting their love affairs. refered to as a “Shrewd and Knavish Sprite”, this is reinforcing my love for practical jokes and causing trouble wherever I go. My character is known for being quite intelligent, but with no common-sense as I make the easiest mistakes. At times, I am very annoying and hard to tolerate, especially for Oberon, but they are each others closest friends and always find the best in each other and the situation in the very end. Puck is a very hard character to stay mad at due to her bonds and silly characteristics, but on the whole is capable of so much, with the tendency to make major mistakes and fix these in her satisfaction.

  • What time is it?

We are performing A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2019, returning to modern-day. However, this is set at the time it was written, between 1595 and 1596. When there are any scenes with the fairies, it will be nighttime as this is when they come out (in the darkness), with anybody else on stage it is likely to be anytime during the day. The play follows the course of a couple of days at least, to approximately a week. I know this because of references made in the text and on the whole. Puck is a fairy, so unless she is causing trouble for the lovers, she is most likely going to be active at nighttime.

  • Where am I?Athens, Attica, Greece

I am in the capital of Greece, Athens. This is where our play is set. However, my fairy character of Puck lives in the forest and spends most of her time being mischievous here. however, when she ventures out of the forest, she will appear in Quince’s house. However, she is never present in the castle or court room which is home to Theseus, Philostrate and Hippolyta.

  • What surrounds me?

Dependent on where my character is. Puck spends most of her time in the woods and forest with Oberon, surrounded my magic and mischievous behaviour, due to her given tasks and background. She is regularly surrounded by chaos as she is the founder and creator of most of this, alongside Oberon.

  • What are the given circumstances?

Here is the present day circumstances:

  • The Duke of Athens, is preparing for the wedding and Hippolyta and Egeus are asking Theseus if his daughter will agree to marry Demetrius.
  •  Hermia and Lysander then make the decision to run away into the woods and Helena somehow becomes known to their plan and makes the choice to make Demetrius aware of this.
  • The mechanicals are rehearsing a play to be performed at the wedding.
  • There is an argument between Oberon and Titania over a young Indian prince. Therefore, Oberon orders Puck to bring a magical flower which when used correctly will make that person will fall in love with the first thing he or she sees upon waking.
  • Puck brings the flower.
  • Puck takes Lysander and puts the juice over his eyes. When Lysander wakes up, he happens to see Helena and falls in love with her.
  • Hermia becomes jealous of Helena. Lysander and Demetrius are about to fight but Puck confuses them by mimicking their voices that lead them apart until they are nothing but confused in the forest.
  • Puck then turns bottom into an Ass, Titania is awoken by this and falls in love with him.
  • Oberon orders Puck to fix everything. Hippolyta finds the sleeping lovers in the forest and they all return to Athens to be wed. Now Demetrius loves Helena, and Lysander now loves Hermia.
  • Then the Mechanicals perform their play to finish – English Summary.com 2019
  • What are my relationships?

Puck is very close with his boss/friend Oberon, who influences Puck’s bad behaviour and tells him what to do. However, this is a very complex relationship as they create mischief and have fun, but Puck tends to make mistakes which Oberon does not like, causing tension. On the other hand, Oberon cannot stay mad at Puck and they create a good team.

Oberon is Puck’s closest friend as Puck does not speak to many others. But, Puck is very talkative and secretive and is not known well with them but will speak to Titania’s fairies as they are usually out at nighttime together. relating to this, my character is not keen on Titania as she tends to cause issues with Oberon, making hos focus something other than Puck.

Puck does not specifically speak to anyone else, bit has moments of interaction, mostly where she can see them and they cannot see her.

  • What do I want?

Puck does not want to be overlooked. She wants to cause mischief and have fun throughout her tasks given by Oberon and always pleasing him and reaching his highest demands.

  • What is in my way?

Puck stands in her own way as she is not always the cleverest and has the tendency to make so many silly and unnatural mistakes. People see Puck as a fun character who can do anything, but nobody sees the intelligence which is shown in her final lines of the play briefly.

  • What do I do to get what I want?

To get what I want, I need to continue to complete my given tasks but try not to make mistakes so that I am not yelled at, spoken down to or overlooked upon in the future.

Find out about the potential physicality of your character. How do they sit, stand, move? Are they relaxed, tense, energetic, sluggish? How do you know this? How are you going to use this information to develop your performance?

The physicality of Puck is very energetic at any point in the play. My character is full of life and is constantly “bouncing off the walls”.Therefore, even in stages when she is not at her happiest and completing things that she aspires to fo, all of her moods and movements are committed to and portrayed with energy behind them. I know this is my character is full of fun and loves to cause trouble all of the time. Puck rarely ever stands still and is always trying to find something to do, giving her a purpose, which she aspires for.

What examples of Theatre in Education companies can you find?

Websites are linked here:

What key stage of education will your production be targeted at? What age group and year group are these and what are they studying? How and why will your production be appropriate for this target audience?

We will be targeting our performance to KS1, 2 and maybe KS3 students. These are children in the years 1-9. ‘

KS1 and 2 National Curriculum:

  • English
  • maths
  • science
  • design and technology
  • history
  • geography
  • art and design
  • music
  • physical education (PE), including swimming
  • computing
  • ancient and modern foreign languages (at key stage 2)- http://www.gov.co.uk

KS3 National Curriculum:

  • English
  • mathematics
  • science
  • art and design
  • citizenship
  • computing
  • design and technology
  • geography
  • history
  • languages
  • music
  • physical education – http://www.gov.co.uk

Our performance of AMSND will be appropriate for the younger children because of the humour and content in the play, there are many simplistic comical moments and a very traditional storyline, which they should grasp to and recognise quite well, making it easier for their acknowledgement and development.

 

Where have you found the above required knowledge and information?

 

Research UAL definition: The ability to select, edit, interpret and respond to relevant material in support of lines of enquiry, and the level of initiative, commitment, personal responsibility and resourcefulness demonstrated in developing and progressing identified goals

Fail: Little or no evidence presented or information does not relate sufficiently to task.

Pass: Sufficient relevant information has been gathered, documented and used in the development of ideas.

Merit: Thorough and sustained research and investigation of relevant sources, interpretation and synthesis of information used to inform, support and develop ideas.

Distinction: Independently identified, thorough and sustained research and investigation of a range of relevant sources, insightful interpretation and synthesis of information used to inform, support and develop ideas.

The above statements are guides to how evidence for the final unit (8) will be assessed. Tutors will let you know in their feedback how your evidence for these units compares to these achievement standards so that you are aware of the level you are currently working at.

3 thoughts on “RESEARCH – A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

  3. More detailed and thorough research Emily, well done. There are areas which could be expanded upon (‘how you are going to use this information to develop your performance’ for example) but you use a range of sources to help you in your research and are showing signs of being able to apply the understanding of research to your own planning/preparation for a role. This is a high merit standard. To move distinction make sure you support your comments to avoid your research becoming too generalised as you tend to repeat yourself and avoid answering the question fully. Look back at the question regarding what you would need to emphasise to deliver this particular style – you have quite rightly identified that the characters need to be clear but haven’t said how you and the rest of the cast would make them clear… use of pace or pause to give the audience time to take it in time? Exaggeration and so on. Keep going, this is on the right tracks!

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