Midsummer frolics
QMU’s Dream for Dunbar’s Close
Queen Margaret University brings its midsummer production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream to the Dunbar’s Close Gardens on the Cowgate for a one-off alfresco performance on Friday 24 June 2016.
The production is the work of more than 40 students and staff from across the university’s performing arts programmes, who are working with students from both the University of Edinburgh and Edinburgh Lighting and Sound School.
Pyramus and Thisbe with Wall. Photo: AKA Photography
Original music for the show has been supervised by Yati Durant and composed by students of MSc Composition for Screen at the Reid School of Music, ECA, University of Edinburgh.
Director Kate Nelson told Æ that as the only university drama department in the east of Scotland, it is their contribution to the commemorative celebrations marking the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.
“We felt that as a department it would be great to bring staff and students together to create a show celebrating Shakespeare and this seemed the perfect time as it falls between exams and graduation.”
The show had its opening performances on the QMU campus, with local families walking up the hill to see the show according to Nelson who says it has “proven really popular with the children in the audience as well as the adults – always a sign that something good is happening!”
annual event
The production will now play for one performance only in Dunbar’s Close’s traditional knot garden – what ever the weather.
Nelson added: “As the first of what we hope may be an annual event, A Midsummer Night’s Dream was an obvious choice. Our opening night coincided with Midsummer’s Eve which seemed a good sign and I felt that the play’s joyous, high spirits fitted well with the mood of my company after another year of study done!
“I was also keen to do something funny as a director as I’ve had rather a run on serious drama recently. The utter, unfettered madness of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a gift to direct. What’s not to like when a play has the line “The Battle of the Centaurs to be sung by an Athenian eunuch on the harp”? I think that is probably my favourite from this one!”
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Dunbar’s Close, 137 Canongate, EH8 8BW
Friday 24 June 2016
Evening: 7.30pm.
Click here for tickets from: Eventbrite
ENDS
