Shakespeare shines on the CMHS stage

By Eleanor Fisher

Features Writer

​On April 28, A Midsummer Night’s Dream opened at Crete-Monee High School, delivering an impressive adaptation of Shakespeare's iconic story, featuring strong production and set design.​ A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a comedy about four young Athenian lovers fleeing arranged marriages into a magical forest. There, they get tangled in a dispute between Oberon (Zakari Sanders) and Titania (Isla McClure), King and Queen of the fairies, sparking chaotic romance through a love potion from the mischievous Puck (London Lear).

From left to right: Elise Porter (Hermia), Lamari 'Marquis' Brock (Demetrius), and Tyler Fears (Lysander) work a scene in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Photo by Tavauge Starling.

While you may think doing Shakespeare is harder for a younger cast, they surprisingly seemed to do well with the play’s writing and were able to act naturally as the characters. The cast was fun to watch and had strong chemistry; even the smaller characters had engaging bits scattered throughout the play.

The main lovers, Hermia (Elise Porter), Lysander (Tyler Fears), Helena (Heidi Rogers), and Demetrius (Marquis Brock), are the stars of the show, with incredible chemistry and the fun you should expect from a Shakespearean work.

Surprisingly, the energetic cast never got old. They all seemed to know when it was time to be a little less, for a quieter, even mellow, moment. But sometimes I feel the acting could be less; some characters did way more than they should have.

​“Before we held auditions, we watched the movie, and I held three pre-audition workshops.

During these workshops, actors worked on the language and familiarized themselves with the characters. Once we started rehearsals, we spent time with each group of characters working on their scenes and characterization,” said Mrs. Hysell

​Parts like Nick Bottom's (Terrell Henderson) transformation into a donkey by Puck and his

subsequent romance with Queen Titania are what make this play so beloved. The fairies all have to take care of Nick Bottom, as the donkey was funny, and the fairies all did a good job on stage, being fairies and tending to Nick Bottom in a humorous light.

The playful romance that blooms in the various scenes between the two characters makes it

much more entertaining. But the lovers’ quarrel, when both Lysander and Demetrius fall for

Helena, leading to a ridiculous chase and a confrontation between Helena and Hermia, was

hilarious.

The actors for Lysander and Demetrius were entertaining to watch. ​But then some scenes honestly felt more dry than anything, like the whole scene of Nick Bottom and his crew performing "The Most Lamentable Comedy and Most Cruel Death of Pyramus and This," which felt boring and slow for an act that was supposed to be funny.

It doesn’t just seem to fit with the silly scenes before it; the things that were supposed to make me laugh in that act barely even brought out a pathetic chuckle. Although it acted well, the scene just doesn’t seem to hit the right way, no matter how much you watch it.

“I feel like we did an excellent job on this set. It was way more detailed than I felt. Bye Bye

Birdie was. I received many compliments from staff members and students about how the stage looked and about all the effort the crew put into getting it there; the compliments have not stopped. I wish the crew got to hear them,” Mr. Gomez said.

​The set was lovely, having that dreamy woodland setting you would see in a story like this. The beautiful trees, with the glowing moon in the background, do a nice job of giving this play a mystical look that enhances what it's trying to say. The whole set matches exactly how you would expect it to look if you read the story yourself. It’s a stunning set that should be a more common theme for plays; its forest look helps make the story feel dreamier and prettier, more appealing to the eye.

“I think the overall outcome of the play is wonderful. It was my favorite set to build and

Decorate,” Sofia Alonsa said.

I also appreciate the collaborative team of crew who all worked together to make the set, and to the crew who did their best on stage and behind the scenes to create a fantastic show for everyone to see. Overall, the play was wonderful. The acting and set were good, the overall atmosphere was nice, and it was just an incredible adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Hopefully, we can see more Shakespeare being performed soon. Next year, let’s hopefully see something just as good or even better.