HENLEY’S Acorn Music Theatre Company is putting on a show with shimmer for its production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The group’s artistic director, Gail Rosier, says: “We’re performing in our secret garden in Shiplake again, which is nice, it’s outdoors on a sort of manmade hill.
“The themes of the costumes are ‘iridescent beetles’, so they’re going to be rather beautifully dressed.
“Yana Lakatos, who was an Acorn, is helping us design the costumes and she’s now a professional set designer, so that’s good.”
The tale of lovers lost in the forest, “rude mechanicals” rehearsing a play-within-a-play and fairies at war with each other was first performed by Acorn’s young people 12 years ago, in the private garden of Sir William and Lady McAlpine.
Gail adds: “We’re being assisted by the wonderful Dan Swift, who wrote The Dream Factory. He advises, he goes and does all sorts of really important things with really important people, he’s a Shakespeare expert.
“He’s been asking the young people really lovely questions, like when Puck says ‘I’ll put a girdle round the Earth in 40 minutes’, he said, firstly, what is 40 minutes to a fairy? and secondly, they didn’t have watches and clocks in Shakespeare’s time, so why would Shakespeare write ‘I’ll put a girdle round the Earth in 40 minutes’ when he himself probably wouldn’t have access to something that measured minutes? That’s fascinating.
“Also, does Lysander really have an aunt? There’s a mention of an aunt at the beginning which our young people decided, of course he did, so there we go. So he’s been working with us and that’s been an absolute wonder.
“Sophie Dix, who is a mum and an actor, has been helping us.
“For music, we have been assisted by more Acorn alumni, folk singer-songwriter Megan Henwood again and also Louis Rees, who has just released a record and works in the chocolate shop in Henley.
“The original music has been written by the young cast with help from Megan and Louis and will be performed live with Acorn’s signature physical theatre.”
There is a licensed bar and audience members are encouraged to bring a picnic and come dressed for a forest.
There will be a prize for the most original audience costume.
Acorn is a charity which meets on Mondays in weekly workshops and devises original music theatre based on the myths and legends of the world.
Acorn Music Theatre Company presents A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a secret garden in Shiplake tomorrow (Saturday, June 20) at 7pm, on Sunday at 2pm and 7pm and on Monday at 2pm. For more information, email acorntickets@gmail.com or visit www.acornmusictheatrecompany.com
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