A Good ‘Night’s’ Out: participatory dancing in A Midsummer Night’s Dream James Hewison, Edge Hill University: International Conference: “Dancing Shakespeare”, November 9-10, 2023, Sorbonne Université/IUF, Paris, France

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperpeer-review

Abstract

This paper explores dance as a mode of connection for new audiences for Shakespearean production. It expands on a notion of feathering, a deliberate ruffling of the edges between ‘high’ culture and ‘a good night out’ and focuses on the recently launched Shakespeare North Playhouse (SNP) project, UK, and its inaugural production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Autumn, 2022 .
SNP is a purpose-built, cockpit-style theatre in the small town of Prescot, near Liverpool. It stands near the site of a 1590s building that was thought to be the only indoor playhouse outside of London at that time, and one that hosted productions by the then upcoming playwright, William Shakespeare . SNP’s aim is to reinvigorate cultural participation, with a particular focus on a reawakening of Shakespeare for its regional audiences; their inaugural performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream rippled with that aim throughout, using dance and movement as primary tools.
In the pre-show bars and public galleries, a merry dance of deception was afoot, echoing the themes of the play about to unfold, as performers improvised contemporised versions of their characters in a comic feathering of the boundaries between actor/character and performer/audience. Once in the auditorium, audiences were invited to learn ‘The Dance’, a key piece of repertoire that would be used later to bring the event to an end. Simple choreographic traits of Hokey Cokey meets School Disco wrapped the performance in an accessible and communal celebration that tickled the audience into dance. Movement and dance are ever-present in this production: Lysander, played by a profoundly deaf actor, communicating through physical gestures that others learn and share; Titania and Bottom exploring a strange physical-theatre duet of rapture; and Helena and Hermia sharing a madcap moment of mutual dance-floor frenzy. This was Shakespeare as a good night out; and we were all dancing that night.
Original languageEnglish
Publication statusAccepted/In press - 29 Apr 2023
EventDancing Shakespeare - Sorbonne University, Paris, France, Paris, France
Duration: 9 Nov 202310 Nov 2023

Conference

ConferenceDancing Shakespeare
Country/TerritoryFrance
CityParis
Period9/11/2310/11/23

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A Good ‘Night’s’ Out: participatory dancing in A Midsummer Night’s Dream James Hewison, Edge Hill University: International Conference: “Dancing Shakespeare”, November 9-10, 2023, Sorbonne Université/IUF, Paris, France'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this