A DREAM OF SHAKESPEARE
The Victorians couldn’t get enough of William Shakespeare. They loved to read his collected works, and on stage the plays were never more extravagant. As a society, they worshipped Shakespeare with a reverence that playwright George Bernard Shaw coined “Bardolatry.” The writer from Stratford was always a genius, but it wasn’t until the 19th century that his reputation reached the level we take for granted today. It was almost as if the world discovered something very special that had been waiting to be acknowledged fully. Gifted performers of the era like Ellen Terry and Henry Irving made their names performing Shakespeare’s great roles, a rite of passage that still continues today.
The people of the Victorian age were also intensely fascinated by all things to do with magic and the occult, including fairies. Even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the most logical detective in fiction, believed in them. In many homes, little Shakespeare societies were commonplace. Friends would gather together and read the great plays aloud, laughing and discussing long into the night, in love with Shakespeare’s vivid art.
And that is where the staged reading of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion comes in. One of the great things about experiencing theater at the Mansion is the ability to be transported to a different time and let the 21st century fade away. To that end, we invite the audience into one of those exclusive Shakespeare parties, with elegant refreshments and a Victorian magic show happening in the Library. Eventually everyone will gather in the Parlor, and suddenly the play begins. The Victorian actors have been mingling with you the whole time, chatting about the play and the characters they will be bringing to life. Sometimes they will sit in the audience with you while you watch Shakespeare’s most glorious comedy unfold all around you.
On a personal note, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the play that sparked my passion for theater in the first place. When I was in eighth grade, we took a field trip to see the high school’s production. I still remember great chunks of that show to this day, and by the end I knew that I had found my calling. When I got interested in directing as well, Midsummer was the first play I ever did. It’s a play that brings happiness and laughter to anyone who encounters it. It has given me a lot, and that’s why it was such an easy decision that it would be the first Shakespeare ever performed at the Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion.
We want to take you back to a midsummer night during the reign of Queen Victoria, and experience one of the Bard’s most beloved plays. Make sure you bring the kids. You never know, they fall in love
with the magic of theater, just like I did.
