A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

A double celebration, Shakespeare’s 400th birthday and our first ‘graduate’ production.

At ASHTAR we feel strongly that theatre should mirror the local language and geographical dialects. Thus presenting translator Sameh Hijazi with a double-sided concern:

"On the one hand, I was deeply committed to preserving the spirit of the discourse - the essence of the drama. At the same time I was seeking a parallel, an indigenous frame that would render to our native audience the same colours, shapes and themes".

Nevertheless, despite drawing inferences mainly from the realms of Greek mythology and English/Irish folklore, the emotions wrought by the characters evoke a universal philosophy; the strongest example or parallel of which is the Islamic interpretation of fate. The story of " A Midsummer Night’s Dream" is a combination of ancient history and the present, nature and mythology which, in one way or another, streams into our contemporary society. The theatrical experience attained here involves the discovery of new realms by means of a mental adventure in the unknowns of life through maxims, fables and an unprecedented manner of challenging the present. That is why ASHTAR chose this theatrical dream for its trainees to encounter.

While he was translating adapting the play Sameh noticed many comparisons between Irish-based and oriental folklore. He wanted to bring the story home to our audiences and so he gave it a typical Arab setting. The workers names were translated into thier equivalent signifies in Arabic; tailor, carpenter and so on. Here you can see Abu Tubeh (the tailor), Kamalekah ( the carpenter ) and Abu Hasweh ( the builder ) rehearsing their performance.
 With her always, Titania kept a delicate glass orb containing smaller glass cells and a flower. The flower represents life flow, the cells our family and its fragilty reminds us of the tenuous position of the earth - and a terrifying possibility ........
Titania, like the rest of the cast, wore black and went barefoot. The stage too was a black box and all the actors sat in a semi-circle, on stage, for the whole performance.