Original Music:

Reilly Fox

Eesha Kumar​

Musicians:

Reilly Fox -- Ukulele, Guitar

Catrina 'CJ' Villegas -- Drums

Keren Escobar -- Keyboard

Eesha Kumar -- Vocalist

DIRECTOR -- Tim O'Donnell

Mr. O’Donnell has been teaching English at RCHS for 12 years. He found his love for Shakespeare while studying at the Globe Theatre in London. This is the first time he has directed anything. Mr. O’Donnell would like to thank his wife Anna and daughter Eleanor for their love and support, the members of his Shakespeare In Performance class for the inspiration, and Glynn MacDonald for the walking advice.

Director’s Note:

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind. -Helena, Act I

    I am always astonished to think that words written over 400 years ago can still ring true today. The themes and ideas of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream--love, anxiety, chaos, social pressures, and their effects--are just as at home on a contemporary stage as they were on an Elizabethan one.

    Ultimately, Shakespeare explores the nature and chaos of love in Midsummer. We love who we love, Helena says in Act I, and nature conspires to ensure that we end up with the person with whom we are meant to be. 

Lots of forces try to get in the way of that--societal norms, insecurities, parents--but love always finds its way. It rarely takes the easy route though, and Shakespeare develops love’s chaotic journey hilariously.

    I have also been continually astonished by the dedication and tireless work of our cast and crew in making this chaotic journey come to life. Every one of them has embraced the challenges and chaos that are ingrained in performing Shakespeare. The resulting performance is action-packed, moving, and hilarious.

    From day one, this group of young people have approached challenges with palpable energy. At the start of a rehearsal early on in the process, a group of actors told me that they wanted to show me the blocking that had worked out on their own over the weekend. I knew from that moment that I was working with a special group. We continued to rely on collaboration throughout the process of bringing Shakespeare’s words to life. The actors worked together to develop their characters and to stage their scenes.The crew envisioned this beautiful stage, designed the costumes, and, in general, made my job easy. They have thrown themselves (often quite literally) into the chaos, and I am so proud of the result.

    Finally, I am astonished by Chris Hanks, the theater teacher, adviser of the RC Thespians, and usual director of our productions here. Mr. Hanks handled all of the technical direction for this show and was always there to help me through this process. I had no idea how much of his time and energy he devotes to this program and to these students, andI would not have made it without him.