During the summer, New Yorkers love a good Shakespeare in the Park. It’s one of the city’s favorite traditions. Well, summer seems to be winding down, and unfortunately, COVID-19 is still here. So theater companies have had to get virtually creative. Now in their tenth season, The Seeing Place Theater put on one of the most enjoyable renditions of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream I have yet to see. The way viewers watched the play was not only completely different, The Seeing Place’s interpretation was modernized and more inclusive, centering around the LGBTQ community.
A story about weddings, love potions, unrequited feelings and love triangles, A Midsummer Night’s Dream might seem chaotically romantic on the surface. However, its themes surrounding patriarchy, arranged marriages, overbearing parents and a controlling government, make it a story far too many in the LGBTQ commnunity can relate to.
Co-directed by Erin Cronican and Brandon Walker, the play opens as preparations are being made for the wedding of Athenian Duke Theseus to Amazon Queen Hippolyta. Meanwhile, Egeus is threatening to have his daughter Hermia either killed or sent away to live as a nun for refusing to marry Demetrius, the man he wants for his daughter. However, Hermia is in love with Lysander. Traditionally, Lysander, was written by Shakespeare as the man Hermia loves, but the character’s pronouns are changed to she/her. Alongside the same-sex relationship, many of the fairies in the Zoom-projected forest identified as nonbinary.
I was fascinated by how they were going to recreate a celestial, fantasy-driven play digitally. Zoom backgrounds were key to transporting you to the magical forest, you definitely had to use your imagination, though. The talented ensemble of eight did have to double up on their roles, which they executed quite well. As someone who is a part of the community, it felt nice to see myself represented in such an iconic play.
Proceeds from the play benefited The Ali Forney Center, an organization that helps homeless LGBTQ youth. The Seeing Place is an “actor-driven company dedicated to exploring the intersection between the actor’s voice and the playwright’s words, by reinterpreting masterful works live and in the moment to make them relevant, visceral, truthful, and accessible to a modern audience.” I, for one, can’t wait to see what the theater company has in store for us next!
