Everyone knows Shakespeare’s classic play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but a modern twist on the Elizabethan show is soon to take place at a local secondary school. 

With a talented teenage cast and crew, it will be a one-night-only show, beginning at 7pm on Thursday 13th June at Guildford County School. 

One of the two student directors, Annabelle, approached the drama department about a Year Twelve play early in the school year and rehearsals have been taking place regularly since. The play is shaping up to be of a spectacular standard, with detailed set, costumes, and props- not to mention the excellent actors! 

The cast is made up of enthusiastic Year Twelves from both in and out of the Drama course. One of the cast members said that she was “really happy to get the opportunity to act even though [she] doesn’t study it for A-Level.”  

The script, which has been adapted to modern language to be accessible to even the youngest audience member, was worked on by the student director Annabelle and the play’s producer. Both were incredibly pleased with the result and believe that it maintains the original power and charm of Shakespeare’s work despite adding a contemporary flair. 

In an interview, student director Annabelle shared: “Since we knew that much of our cast hadn't acted before, we wanted to choose a well-known play with a good balance between comedy and drama, and so Shakespeare was the perfect playwright to look to. A Midsummer Night's Dream is fast-paced, hilarious, and a little wordy at times- so I'm so grateful to our incredible cast for working so hard. Behind the scenes, the creative team has worked constantly to create some of the most amazing props and set, helping take our performance to a whole other level.” 

The show is guaranteed to be a special experience for those involved and any audience members. Annabelle shared her personal thoughts about the show, stating that as she usually acts “it's been so valuable to be able to hone my skills through directing others. The cast and crew have been so patient with me whilst I've constantly changed my mind (and then gone back again!) and I'm so excited to see the performance come together!” 

Seats will be first-come, first-served at Guildford County School’s Mayhew Theatre on Thursday 13th June. The show begins at 7pm, so make sure you get there in plenty of time to guarantee a seat!