On Wednesday May 8, Year 11 English Language and Year 11 and Year 12 Literature students attended a matinee performance of Bell Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at the Arts Centre in Melbourne. Thanks to Bek Chadwick, Jayde Tangey and Steph Macdonald for making the day such a success. We also want to acknowledge parents’ support of the excursion. The students were captivated by the exquisite stagecraft of the highly technical show. Here are some of the Year 12 Literature class’ reflections:

"I was intrigued by the actors and the way they moved across the stage. They were all hilarious and had amazing comedic timing. The staging was gorgeous and so intricately made to assist the actors in character and place transformation."

"I was mesmerised by the magnificent use of the set; the actors' agility as they swung from beams and crouched on walls, and maneuverer chairs and tables was incredible to watch."

"An element of the play that I appreciated was the intricate ways the actors shifted between roles, the stark differences between the way each character was presented through body language, vocal modulation, speech, and costuming. It was incredible to see characters brought to life in such a way that made their personality's believable, and loveable and so different from one another."

"I was awestruck at how the small ensemble cast were able to shift from character to character, playing multiple characters with different personalities and goals. The cast constructed scenes that went from romance to leaving the audience in a fit of laughter."

"I appreciated the scene where Hermia and Helena were fighting after Lysander and Demetrius had both 'fallen in love' with Helena. Even though the dialogue was so fast and in Shakespearean English, the body language, movement, and facial expressions made the scene so clear and so fun to watch."

"A moment at the conclusion of the performance that left me in hysterics was the play within a play 'Pyramus and Thisbe', performed in an amateurish way and with such raunch, in comparison to the level of sobriety the principal cast upheld throughout the play. Adorning Elizabethan costumes to perform the play within a play added comedic value, lampooning the ‘mechanicals’ further, as it stood in contrast to the modern clothing the principal cast wore."