Middlesbrough Juniors Theate had something very special planned to celebrate the birthday of William Shakespeare this year. It was at least 30 years since the junior section of the theatre has staged a complete Shakespeare play and so is very excited about their production of A Midsummer Nights Dream. Tradition meets with modern technology as they perform Shakespeare’s version of Four Weddings and a Funeral – namely A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

This interpretation is purposely timeless with an emphasis more on the messages communicated within the text i.e. the confusion, bitter intent and comical reactions of the characters displaying the irrationality of humanity’s behaviour when dealing with affairs of the heart. The use of modern technology in the production celebrates this ‘timeless’ quality of Shakespeare’s work.

The fairy world, led by the more sinister character of Oberon, King of the fairies and Titania, his hot-headed fairy queen create mayhem in the natural world by squabbling over an Indian boy entrusted into the care of Titania. Whilst Puck, Oberon’s right-hand goblin uses his powers of invisibility to get up to all kinds of mischief causing mass confusion between the four lovers, Lysander, Demetrius, Hermia and Helena, whom he magically controls, like puppets.

Most of the humour in the play is provided by the lovable, yet often bumptious  ‘Bottom’ and his equally lovable yet rather inadequate band of rude mechanicals as they innocently rehearse and then perform ‘The most lamentable comedy and most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisbe’ as entertainment for the Duke and Duchess of Athens at their wedding celebrations - Theseus first defeating Hypolita in battle and then falling in love with her!  However, Puck, on orders from the revenge-seeking Oberon, transforms the head of Bottom into the head of an ass thus scaring the other mechanicals half to death. Titania then falls in love with Bottom – of course! – ‘Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind.’

The actors, aged between twelve and seventeen take you into the dream with the innocence and excitement of first-love and yet you may leave with the feeling that the play, often regarded as the most ‘poetic’ of Shakespeare’s plays, is quintessentially what love and human behaviour is still about even after 400 years of progress, education and change. They offer you a treat not to be missed – as Bottom reflects ‘….a most rare vision, ….a dream, past the wit of man to say what dream it was.’