Report and pics by Wilson Saldanha, Shirthady/ Kuwait
Daijiworld News Network
Kuwait November15-19: Well known English play written by the eminent poet and writer William Shakespeare “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” was performed at the British Embassy on November 15 and 16 from 7.30 pm to 10 pm as part of British Festival and in the British School of Kuwait for three days from November 17 to 19. Youths and adults of many nations come together as a sign of their love for theatre, to recreate this theme in a synergy of sight and sound.
The show was presented by KAST (Kuwait Acting Speech Theatre) in collaboration with Ballerine’s School of Dance, British school of Dance and LAMDA (The London Academy of Music And Dramatic Art). Around 80 artists of different nationality participated in the show. A fusion of western acting, Ballet & tap and Indian classical and filmy dance gave an extra attraction to the show.
The show was directed by Alison Shan price and produced by Gregan Davis. Sadhana Hardikar was advisor for Indian Culture. Sudhi Fronteiro, Shannon mare hart and Puloma Gosh Choreographed Indian modern, Ballet/tap and Indian Classical dances. “Ballerine’s school of Dance” a famous dance school in Kuwait, which has to its credit the record of a brilliant performance “Ballerine`s Showcase- 2006” was also a part of this British festival who enthralled the audience with their excellent performance. Costumes were designed by Rowena Allcick (European), Sadhanna hardikar and ballerinas (Indian).
A Midsummer Night`s dream was written by William Shakespeare probably for the wedding of an aristocrat. Shakespeare combined popular literature to produce this unique comedy.
The King and Queen of fairy land are at war and meet by chance in a fairy wood outside Athens to celebrate the wedding of Duke Theseus and Queen Hippolyta. Hermia is instructed to marry Demetrius and elopes with Lysander, telling her friend Helena before she leaves. Helena and Demetrius follow the couple into the fairy wood. A company of local men rehearse their play for the Duke`s wedding in the wood. In a magic wood anything can happen.
Various ideas for the charmingly interwoven plot are accredited to C16 Edmund Spenser in his epic poem ’The Fairie Queene’ which details the quarrel between fairies Oberon and Titania; C14 English author Geoffrey Chaucer, for the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta and the rivalry of two young men in the Knight`s Tale from TheCanterbury Tales; the Roman poet Ovid for the tale of ‘Pyramus and Thisbe’ from Book 4 in Metamorpisis, Roman Apuleius in his story the Golden Ass which tells the transformation of a man to a donkey and English folk-law of fairies and hobgoblins including C16 ballad the Mad Merry Pranks of Robin Goodfellow.
The theme of A Midsummer Night`s Dream is love, an emotion capable of creating both chaos and harmony in the world.