Recreation of midsummer magic
K.K. GOPALAKRISHNAN
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A troupe, comprising students of theatre from Finland, presented Shakespeare's `Midsummer Night's Dream' in Thrissur.
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`MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM:'"Midsummer in northern Europe is a very special time of the year."
`Midsummer Night's Dream,' one of the most interesting plays of William Shakespeare, was staged by third-year students of Physical Theatre Department of Swedish Polytechnic of Finland, at Regional Theatre of Thrissur, under the aegis of Thalam Cultural Trust. The play was directed by Maya Tanheberg-Grischin, their teacher and a renowned theatre director in Finland.
The group's interpretation of the play (in Swedish) premiered in Vaasa (Finland) this May but its English version was first staged in Thrissur.
Special period
"Midsummer in northern Europe is a very special time of the year, a period when the sun does not set for a few weeks and everything is in full bloom. There is love and magic in the air. There is a belief that if a young girl puts seven flowers under her pillow when she goes to sleep, she surely will dream of her future husband. Midsummer is the time of weddings. In the play, the defeated Amazone queen Hippolyta is forced to get married to king Theseus," says Maya Tanheberg-Grischin.
In the magic atmosphere of the Nordic midsummer night, the main persons become characters from the kingdom of fairies and act out some of their innermost dreams. Puck, the servant of the jealous king of Elves, drops a magic potion into the eyes of the fairy queen so that she may fall in love with her first sight when she wakes up. Steina Ohman (Egea, the Minister and mother of Hermia, and as Puck), excelled in her role.
The play was conceived and interpreted in such a way that the blend of the grotesque and the romantic made it a unique experience for the audience. This interpretation of the play was more physical and much of the text was transformed into action; physical imagery, and dance and music closely connected to Scandinavian folklore. It was a successful attempt by Maya Tanheberg-Grischin and her talented disciples; making the play a rich combination of the aesthetics of body kinetics and theatrics.
Lighting was done by Samkutty Pattomkari, the only Indian of the troupe, and costumes by Anna Moberg.
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