"Are we in the right place?"

 “Are we watching the wrong play?”

I remember asking this question as the lights of the theater dimmed and a man began screeching and bellowing like a monkey. It was the first play I had ever watched so I was not sure what to expect. I thought the entire play would be monotonous and lifeless with the occasional joke to make sure the audience didn’t fall completely asleep. So it was a big surprise to see the actors immediately start with a compelling, energetic interpretation of the opening scene of the play. At that moment, I knew I was in for a long night full of laughter.

Prior to this performance, I had lukewarm feelings about A Midsummer Night’s Dream. While I enjoyed reading it, I hardly ever laughed at any of the passages that seemed like they were meant to be funny. The words themselves seemed dull and without life. I knew from my previous encounters with Shakespeare that his works were better seen than read but I simply could not see much humor or entertainment in anything other than the antics of the Rude Mechanicals. However, after our class trip, my view on the play completely changed. Seeing how five actors and the creative director could breathe so much life into what previously looked like dry words on a page to me altered my perspective on the play and made me truly appreciate A Midsummer Night’s Dream as a form of entertainment. For example, the way the director played around with the chink in the wall that separated Pyramus and Thisbe was simply something I never would have thought of while reading the play. Little additions and interpretations like this made me reconsider what I thought I knew about A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Shakespeare as a whole.

As a result of the performance, I received a greater understanding of Shakespeare. I came to the complete realization of how truly important it is to witness Shakespeare’s works rather than simply reading his plays. The energy and emotion put into the play by actors is something that cannot be felt by looking at words in a book. The interesting interpretations different directors have for each of Shakespeare’s works can completely change the way you understand his plays like it did for me.