STUDENTS AND pupils from Phoenix Education Trust, Barlavento Primary School and other schools in the Lagos area will be performing their version of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream on Monday, July 3.
What makes this a magical, authentic experience is the unusual venue. The performance will take place in the open air, in the woods, true to the original theme and setting of the play.
With adaptations that bring the comic subject of unrequited love close to our modern day experience, A Madsummer Night’s Dream has holiday reps in place of the tradesmen, and is played by children whose ages range from 10 to 16, in a language with jokes and punch lines that they understand.
“The production and direction has been a real community effort, many parents and friends have got involved, and we’ve had some invaluable help with things such as the stage set and choreography,” Karen, an English teacher with Phoenix, told us. “It all began, as many things do, with a series of small coincidences: a passage from Shakespeare in an English lesson, a DVD of Shakespeare in Love, which was being passed around the teachers, and a decision to show the film to students at Phoenix. What did come as a surprise was the reaction of the students. Far from yawns of boredom, there was, instead, an enthusiastic response to the suggestion that the students might like to stage their own play as a joint class project.”
The show is to be performed in the evening at Parque das Merendas, in the Floresta, in Barão de São João. The route to the venue will be marked by ribbons from Barão de São João. Doors open at 5pm for a barbecue and refreshments, with the play beginning at 7.30pm. All are welcome to come along for a family evening of fairy-dust and magic. For more information, call 962 871 718 or e-mail epaise@sapo.pt
