Thirty years later, the Ocean Lakes Theatre Company (OLTC) performed “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as their fall play.
The play was based on William Shakespeare’s comedy play written in 1595. Showings took place from Nov. 16-19, 2023.
“The audience really liked it, we heard a lot of laughter,” said junior Marty Hester, who plays Puck in the production. “Usually for opening night, the laughter isn’t that loud, but we had a good audience.”
The central theme of the play is love in many forms. Junior Deven Bailey, who played Lysander, senior Jae Cook, who played Demetrius, sophomore Grace Kavanaugh, who played Helena and sophomore Eleanor Strador, who played Hermia, demonstrated this throughout the play. These four characters are known as the young lovers in Shakespeare’s play.
“It is Shakespeare, so the speech may have been different than what they are used to,” said Deven Bailey. “The humor and story were delivered through Shakespeare’s writing style, but if you were listening and became invested in the show, it was easier to understand.”
The OLTC announced the play in June and began practicing in September. The decision to perform “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” was inspired by the company’s main theme.
“The directors, Mr. Blanchard, Mr. Rostock and Mrs. Ewald wanted to stick with the theme of ‘keep it classy’ since it is the 30th year of Ocean Lakes,” said executive board president and Titania in the play, senior Bailey Pohl.
On opening night, the cast and crew got a standing ovation.
“As a director, I am incredibly proud of the dedication and hard work of both the cast and crew,” said theatre director Claude Blanchard. “We had many newbies in both cast and crew, and they worked incredibly hard in collaboration to help make our fall production amazing.”
