By Adriana King

The audience became deeply immersed in the magic, laughter, and fairytale as the lights dimmed and the story began. Each spring, the Upper School presents the spring play. This year, on April 3-5, the Upper School presented William Shakespeare’s comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which follows four young Athenian lovers’ chaotic and magical mishaps. 

Here is Folger Shakespeare Library’s summary of the play: “residents of Athens mix with fairies from a local forest, with comic results. In the city, Theseus, Duke of Athens, is to marry Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons. Bottom and his friends rehearse in the woods a play they hope to stage for the wedding celebrations. Four young Athenians are in a romantic tangle. Robin Goodfellow, who serves the fairy king Oberon, puts flower juice on the eyes of Lysander, and then Demetrius, unintentionally causing both to love Helena. Oberon, who is quarreling with his wife, Titania, uses the flower juice on her eyes. She falls in love with Bottom.”

Demetrius has fallen under the spell and is in love with Hermia. She wants to be with Lysander. Photo credit: Taylor Dabney via @cougarsinthearts on Instagram.

The Collegiate theater department worked diligently over the past three months to bring the spring play together. Starring Finley Hass (‘26) as Helena, Leah Johnston (‘26) as Hermia, James Etherington (‘26) as Demetrius, Baxter Philips (‘26) as Oberon, king of the fairies, Kyle Spicer (‘28) as Lysander, and Kyla Williams (‘26) as Titania, queen of the fairies, and Jake Hahn (‘26) as Bottom, the play showcased a talented cast and crew who used energy and humor to bring each scene and character to life.  

The spring play has been a tradition for many years at Collegiate. Because the music department is usually busier in the spring with recitals and spring concerts, the theater department has performed musicals in the fall while keeping the spring strictly to plays, yet those are often accompanied by various pieces of music. Before COVID-19, Collegiate typically put on a Shakespearean play once every few years. Our last Shakespearean production before this one was Twelfth Night in 2016. 

The eight musicians that played the music accompaniment throughout the play. Photo credit: Leah Johnston.

When choosing the theme for this year, theater director Steve Perigard felt like Midsummer was the right fit. The Shakespearean comedy has such personality, and Perigard explained that “the people auditioning had the same quirky, fun characteristics that made the decision relatively easy.” Perigard tries to bring various emotions and settings to the theatrical productions: “Because [the 2024 fall musical] Hadestown was more serious, we wanted to do a more light-hearted play in the spring.”

Collegiate’s performance of Midsummer had many different aspects of the play that made it personal to the audience. Music often accompanied certain scenes throughout the play. Eight musicians on stage, most of whom also had speaking roles, played beautiful, mellow music in the background to add ambiance and emotion. The pieces used for the play were written by the talented Mike Boyd, the school’s Director of the Arts.  

For plays like Shakespeare, where the language plays a significant role in the performance, rehearsals often resemble rehearsals for musicals. Perigard explained, “Rehearsing Shakespeare begins with sitting down and analyzing the text. We pay close attention to the rhythm and meter, and use scansion to understand what we are saying to find the intention behind each line.” Before the actors are advised to rehearse on their feet, learn the blocking, and practice their lines, they first make sure everything about the language is understood. This is similar to rehearsing for a musical, as an actor has to understand the meaning behind each song and learn the lyrics before bringing it to life. 

The set designed by Gabe Yelanjian and Steve Perigard. Photo credit: Leah Johnston.

The set for this musical was detailed and creative. Perigard and Theater Production Technician Gabe Yelanjian worked together to create the imaginative set for this performance. The process began with lots of brainstorming. In doing so, the set included elements of each setting to give a fresh feel each time a different scene was on stage. The large white columns provided the class of ancient Athens, while the green and brown accented the forest.

The hair and makeup were designed by Anne Ford-Hall (‘25), who played Hippolyta. This process of makeup artistry was a part of Ford-Hall’s final project as an Honors Theater student. When the opportunity arose, Ford-Hall expressed that she “was so excited to combine the two loves of makeup and theater.” Through bright colors, such as the hot pink details on the fairies or the subtle tones on the rude mechanicals, Ford-Hall’s work was filled with creativity and expression. With this being her final Collegiate performance, Ford-Hall is grateful for the experience theater has given her: “There is so much growth from being a part of theater; you learn discipline, patience, and the ability to focus and foster relationships.” 

The Rude Mechanicals. Photo credit: Leah Johnston.

I was fortunate enough to see this performance on opening night. As the house lights dimmed, the audience was expectant of what was to come in the next two hours, and the actors did not disappoint. Specifically, in scenes starring Jake Hahn (‘24) as Bottom, the crowd was filled with laughter and liveliness. Each actor had a passionate commitment to their role, and their ability to portray certain characteristics from each character was notable. Jane Simpkin’s (‘24) role as Puck the fairy trickster required spontaneity and grand gestures, and Simpkin was a perfect fit for the role, embodying the vivacious spirit of the character. The chemistry between the various love affairs was evident through each actor’s body language and expression. The language was easily understood, and the intentions in each interaction were strong. I was impressed with this performance; the cast and crew did a phenomenal job!