Theatre of the 7 Direction’s (T7D) Spring TheatreQuesters will perform a reimagined version of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. One showing will be at 5pm on Saturday 8th, and another at 5pm on Sunday 9th June. The two shows will take place at a wooded area within The Park Ecovillage, Findhorn in Moray, Scotland.
In true T7D-fashion, this Shakespeare classic will be retold with modern environmentally-aware twists and a revised title: A Midsummer Day’s Dream.
Athens, the setting of the play, has been covered in plastic. What’s more, the faeries from the forest have been corrupted by human culture, developing smartphone addictions.
The cast will be made up of local children (aged 10+) and adults. It is the culmination of T7D’s Spring 2024 TheatreQuest programme.
In Spring and Autumn TheatreQuests, participants over several weeks help devise and prepare for public performances such as these two, learning as they go.
The show has been directed by our Founder & Artistic Director Laura Pasetti. Of the upcoming performances, she said:
“Ecotheatre is not just about our relationship with the natural environment, like trees. Ecotheatre is as much about the relationship between humans, which is just as pivotal a factor in our environmental issues.
“This is why we still study and perform Shakespeare, a master of writing about such relationships.
“Ecotheatre helps us realise how connected everything is, whether it’s the connection you have to the tree in your garden or a playwright from 400 years ago.”
“One of the main themes of the play is love – what it is and what it isn’t, and how we confuse the two. We talk a lot about love, “I love you” is one of the most common phrases on human lips, but often what we call “love” is something else.
“The characters of A Midsummer Day’s Dream will show us what love is definitely not. This eco-play offers a magnifying glass on human and other-than-human nature.”
Because of the show’s location, audiences are limited to 45 each evening. For this reason, all bookings must be made in advance.
The location of the performance (in the woods inside the ecovillage) may not be easily accessible for members of the audience with mobility issues. Discretionary concession tickets are £8 while full-price tickets are £10, with an option to donate more to further support T7D.