The opening night of our play in school is fast approaching and I have never felt this tired in my life. I have been very busy trying to complete all the requirements for my last year in acting school. This theatre production is the one that takes up most of my time. I am playing one of the lead roles and beyond that, we are also trying to help with the production design.

Playing Midsummer Night’s Dream

The play we have chosen for our major production is Midsummer Night’s Dream. Among the plays of Shakespeare, this is the that is the most demanding to prepare. From the set design to the costumes – it is a must that this play is portrayed as it is written. You have fairies, magical worlds, young love, and comical romance. All of these come together and it can be overwhelming to prepare.

In this theatre production, I will be playing Hermia – the young lady who is in the midst of a love triangle between Lysander and Demetrius. Add to that Helena who is hopelessly in love with Demetrius and you have a lot of romantic drama.

The play also includes fairies and sprites – and even comical villagers. All these characters make for a very interesting storyline and a fun adventure too.

Preparing for the Shakespearean play

I have always admired the production effort that comes to putting this Shakespearean play in school. I have always believed that if you can be successful in designing a great set of this theatre production, you can face any challenge in the world of stage plays.

As you can see, this is quite a huge production and it is taking almost all of my spare time. With only two weeks until the play is scheduled to happen, we still have a lot to work on. There is so many background design to finalize, props to make, costumes to sew and fit, and scripts to memorise. We still have a long way to go and we are running out of time. With rehearsals happening on a daily basis, everyone is already feeling the stress.

While this play in school is a common occurrence, I always feel a certain sense of adrenaline for each one. It does not matter if it is a huge production or a small one. I get the same thrill when I have to go on stage to portray a character. It is like going into a whole new world and being someone else for a for hours. It is refreshing and quite exciting. The truth is, I cannot wait until I can do this day in and day out.