Midsummer Night's Dream | spectrum-newspaper

By Lydia Pendergast

“Everyone told us not to do a Shakespearean show. So, we did a Shakespearean show.” Canton High’s very own director, Katie Brobst, told her cast this as they were getting ready for their last show. The nights before had been filled with full audiences and standing ovations, and the cast and crew nervously stood around as Katie gave her speech for their final performance that Saturday night.

The room overflowed with incredibly talented students, each excited, and sad, to put on their last show. Months of rehearsals had led up to this moment. Auditions in early September, hours of hard work after school, and 50+ hours of tech week brought this year’s Drama Club to their performance of the Shakespeare show, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Although Mrs. Brobst had faced hesitancy and pushback from the students upon choosing such a difficult and complex show, it turned into a whirlwind of amazing costumes, vibrant sets, and glittery makeup. The complex lines, long monologues, and confusion as to what they were actually saying caused pressure to amount, but the actors pulled through and were able to put on an impressive show this past November 16th, 17th, and 18th. The amazing stage, filled with vibrant glitter and colorful lights, drew the audience in as the show opened with fairies creeping around.

Even if the audience could not decipher quite what the actors were saying, their tone, costume, expression, and motions gave them a strong clue. This comedic love story brought the audience to their feet by the end, and Drama Club succeeded greatly in putting on a complicated show!

Being a part of the show myself, I got to experience hands on what it was like to be surrounded by Shakespeare, in such an wonderful and supportive environment. The language was extremely hard, and it was so impressive that the students who had huge bouts of lines were able to not only say them, but clearly act them as well.

The crew, who worked tirelessly, were also able to create an impressive set and really set the stage for the production. The cast and crew of the show were such hard working, determined people, and it is clear to see how much effort, time, and passion every student put into the show. If you did not end up going to the play, you sure did miss out. It was a (Midsummer Night’s) Dream!