A Midsummer’s Night Dream may be about a fantastical dream of myth, love, and fairies, but Ridge’s Drama Club brought Shakespeare’s classic comedy to life on-stage for two amazing performances on November 15th and 16th.

The play begins with the introduction of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, played by Johnathan Nemetz ‘20, who is planning a large festival to celebrate his marriage to Annika Helgeson’s (‘20) Hippolyta. In waltzes Egeus (Zachary Welch ‘21) with his daughter Hermia (Sofia Zikman ‘20) and her two suitors, Demetrius (Jake Haviland ‘21) and Lysander (Nicholas Casey ‘20).  Egeus asks for the Duke to force Hermia’s marriage to Demetrius even though she is in love with Lysander.

A separate plot is introduced with a stunning twilight forest set, where fairy King Oberon, played by Mohinder Singh ‘20, and his queen Titania (Sera Guven ‘20) quarrel over the ownership of a young boy.  Demetrius enters after Titania exits, pursued by Hermia’s sister Helena (Annabel Delgiorno ‘20), who’s madly in love with him but he holds hatred for her. Scheming Oberon sends his faithful servant, Puck (SG Prejean ‘22), to fetch a magic flower and place it’s juice in both Demetrius’ and Titania’s eyes while they sleep so they’ll fall in love with the first creature they lay eyes on. 

A third plot is introduced with the arrival of a group of workmen working on a play to put on at Theseus’ festival.  The group, led by Peter Quince (Allie Blanchard ‘21) hilariously bicker and stumble over their rehearsal, generating the most laughs out of the audience. 

Meanwhile, in a classic Shakespearean twist, Puck accidentally comes upon sleeping Lysander in the woods and places juice into his eyes.  He’s awakened by Helena, and instantly falls in love with her. When Oberbon finds out Puck’s mistake, he places drops into Demetrius’ eyes as well, leaving Helena comically stumbling through the woods with two suitors.  Titania awakens and falls in love with Itick Bottom (Max Rodriguez ‘22), one of the workmen of Quince’s band.

Puck finds the four Athenians (Helena, Demetrius, Hermia, and Lysander) fighting in the forest, puts them to sleep, and uses the flower’s magic to correct his mistake: Demetrius would fall for Helena, and Lysander for Hermia.  Oberon reverses Titania’s spell, and they reunite in love. The Athenians return to Theseus’ festival, where they watch Peter Quince’s band perform a hilarious spectacle of their play, Pyramus and Thisbe.  As all Shakespearen comedies go, everyone ends in happily ever after!

Although complicated by several plotlines, more characters to count, and dialogue written in iambic pentameter, the Ridge Drama Club performed A Midsummer’s Night Dream with mastery and enthusiasm.  Both the cast and crew truly made it a magical night!