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A Midsummer Night's Dream
Carl Heap
A Midsummer Night's Dream (Haas)
by Claudia Haas
Highlights
60 mins16th Century/ElizabethanEnsemble CastExpandable CastingFlexible Cast SizeRoom for ExtrasUnit Set/Multiple SettingsPeriod CostumesComedy
Synopsis
A cleverly compressed version of Shakespeare’s classic comedy, this adaptation preserves the original poetry while simplifying the language and adding practical stage directions.
The story is framed by the Dreamer, a modern student frustrated in her attempts to make sense of a Midsummer monologue.
As she begins to nod off, the Dreamer is visited by Puck, an impish fairy who sweeps the sleeping girl into the play itself – a world of mischief, magic and love.
Characters
| Character |
|---|
Puck Male or female, mischievous, fun-loving fairy. |
Moth Male or female, meditative, contemplative fairy. |
Cobweb Male or female, mixed-up fairy. |
Mustardseed Male or female, tart, disapproving fairy. |
Peaseblossom Male or female, sweet, gentle fairy. |
Theseus Male, Duke of Athens, regal. |
Hippolyta Female, a queen in her own right, betrothed to Theseus. |
Philostrate Male or female, master or mistress of the revels, dry sense of humor. |
Egeus (Egeia) Male or female, parent of Hermia; emotional. |
Hermia Female, daughter of Egeus, in love with Lysander, small spitfire. |
Lysander Male, in love with Hermia; competitive with Demetrius. |
Demetrius Male, in love with Hermia…maybe, competitive with Lysander. |
Helena Female, tall young woman with extremely low self-esteem; loves Demetrius. |
Quince / Prologue Male or female, carpenter, a befuddled, kindly director. |
Snug / Lion Male or female, means well, except of course when playing the Lion. |
Bottom / Pyramus Male, a blowhard, chewing-scenery actor. |
Snout / Wall Male or female, actor / actress of great emotion. |
Flute / Thisbe Female, insecure bellows-mender. |
Starveling / Moonshine Male or female, really tries very, very hard to get it right. |
Oberon Male, King of the Fairies; headstrong, stubborn and gets what he wants. |
Titania Female, Queen of the Fairies and as stubborn and single-minded as Oberon. |
Extra Fairies (optional) |
Attendants (optional) |
The Dreamer Female, young girl confused by Shakespeare. |
Publication
A Midsummer Night's Dream (Haas) is a comedy play written by Claudia Haas and published by Playscripts.
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