It is rare in Princeton's shockingly compartmentalized arts community to find the major performing groups on campus working together. Yet in the Princeton Shakespeare Company's upcoming production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," this is exactly what is going on.
The show combines Shakespeare with the incidental music of Felix Mendelssohn and showcases the talents of the Princeton University Orchestra, the Triangle Club, Theatre Intime, BodyHype, the Katzenjammers, the Nassoons, Quipfire!, the theater and dance program, the English department and, of course, the Princeton Shakespeare Company.
First performed in March, the show returns to Richardson Auditorium tonight.
"[An encore performance] was suggested by a multitude of voices," orchestra conductor Michael Pratt said. "It was just quite a spectacle — something that you don't ever get to see. The feeling was that the alumni ought to see this, and I agree."
It was Pratt's idea to stage "A Midsummer Night's Dream." When he saw PSC's "Henry IV, Part I" — which was directed by Nick Merritt '99 — he was impressed by the quality of the production.
PSC was founded by Davis McCallum '95 and is known for its unconventional performances of Shakespeare's works, often staging them outside in the various courtyards and archways on campus. Recent productions by the company include last spring's "Henry IV, Part I," set in the East Pyne courtyard, and "Othello," which was performed on a stage constructed over the Wilson School fountain last fall.
Pratt decided to e-mail English professor Thomas Roche, who was listed as the faculty adviser for PSC, with a proposal. In the e-mail, Pratt offered to let PSC use one of the orchestra's regular performance slots at Richardson if the organization or Roche would use it to stage a production of "Midsummer" that would feature both Shakespeare's text and Mendelssohn's music. "This has been a dream of mine for a long time . . . and [Roche] got back to me in about two seconds," Pratt said.
Roche's answer was, "Yes," and this unusual collaboration was born.
Helping hands
Roche decided to direct the production himself. Though he is a veteran performer on the Princeton campus — audiences may remember him from "Henry IV" and "Arcadia" last spring — he had never directed before. He "had some ideas" for the show, but he realized he would need some experienced help with the production's technical aspects. He decided to call on Katie Oman '00 — who was then president of the Triangle Club — and Marion Friedman '00 to serve as production manager and stage manager (and now assistant director), respectively.
"You can't get any better than that," Roche said. "[They have been] absolutely superb."
Jared Ramos '01 was tapped to coordinate fairy choreography, and Jacqueline Schaeffer '00 was responsible for the famous "play within a play."
Roche said he saw more than 75 auditions this fall before deciding on a final cast of 22. When he was done, Roche had assembled what many have called an "all-star cast" consisting of Adam Friedman '01 in the double role of Theseus and Oberon; Mary Bonner Baker '00 in the double role of Hippolyta and Titania; Majel Connery '01 as Hermia; Kate MacKenzie '00 as Helena; Tommy Dewey '01 as Demetrius; Doug Schachtel '01 as Lysander; and Todd Barry '00 as Puck, the mischievous fairy who is responsible for all the commotion and confusion so essential to the comedy.
And with a supporting cast of performers who often play lead roles in campus productions, the project generated an extraordinary amount of interest in the campus arts community.
However, Roche and Pratt did not stop there. Mendelssohn's score for "Midsummer" contains vocal parts for a fairy chorus as well as soloists. To fill these parts, Pratt turned to his wife, Marty Elliot, who is a vocal teacher on campus, for advice.
At the time, several of Elliot's students were members of the Katzenjammers, the a cappella group known for its classically trained singers. So Pratt approached Nicole Pantos '00, former president of the group, and asked if the Katzenjammer women would be interested in performing as part of the production. The Katzenjammers agreed.
In a collaboration of such an expansive group of artists, the potential for disaster seemed overwhelming. But according to everyone involved, there were few problems as the production took shape.
Oman said the various parts of the program — orchestra, actors and singers — were able to "take care of themselves." In fact, the orchestra and actors worked together only in the last two weeks of rehearsal for the March performance.
Setting the stage
Despite the elaborate collaborations involved in the production, Roche's vision of the production is a simple one. "There's no attempt at realism," Roche said, explaining that the set consists of only a few oversized cushions and the preexisting "Tiffany splendors" of Richardson Auditorium. Roche also decided to put the orchestra on stage with the actors so they could see each other while they perform.
The costumes, too, resist realism. Classy is the theme for the men, who are dressed mainly in tuxedos, while the women's gowns and the fairies' attire shine with glitter.
Pratt sees an artistic as well as a logistical advantage to the simplicity of the production, because it allows the audience to focus on the actors and the orchestra, rather than on technical effects.
"The thrill of hearing that text with this music is just extraordinary," said Pratt, who believes that Mendelssohn — who lived more than 200 years after Shakespeare wrote the play — had a "profound understanding" of the text.
"It brings tears to the eyes," Pratt said of hearing the music in the context of the play. "This is quite a rare, rare treat," he continued, pointing out that cost often prohibits professional orchestras and Shakespeare companies from staging a production of this sort because one would generally have to hire the other.
On the other hand, the resources for this sort of production have always been here, but they have not been utilized until now. "This is what a University ought to be doing," Pratt noted.
So, come see it all come together again tonight: the genius of the greatest playwright of all time and the talent of a brilliant young composer. This synergy, combined with the talents and visions of students and faculty from all segments of the Princeton arts community, is sure to be a crowd-pleaser once again. Just as Roche said, "You can't get any better than that."
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" will be performed tonight at 8:00 p.m. in Richardson Auditorium. Admission is $15.
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