When forests and fairies collide with electronic beats, the effect is a dazzling show for young people.
So says Roderick Glanville, artistic director of Kaleidoscope Theatre, who put together a rendition of ShakespeareB次元官网网址檚 A Midsummer NightB次元官网网址檚 Dream he hopes will appeal to a youthful audience.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 geared toward making Shakespeare accessible to all audiences and demystifying it B次元官网网址� what is love; is it in the eyes or the heart?B次元官网网址�
Love, a key theme in ShakespeareB次元官网网址檚 play, is relatable to young and old, Glanville said. But KaleidoscopeB次元官网网址檚 latest production adds a modern pop culture touch that blends the Elizabethan era with the information age: electronic music.
B次元官网网址淚 really enjoy the way the playB次元官网网址檚 going, especially the music,B次元官网网址� said Michael Bell, the 16-year-old Parkland secondary student who plays Lysander in the production. B次元官网网址淭he whole feeling of the show itB次元官网网址檚 very electrifying and magical B次元官网网址� and with the lovers, the love thatB次元官网网址檚 going on, thereB次元官网网址檚 a lot of realism. ItB次元官网网址檚 very high-stakes and emotional.B次元官网网址�
The soundtrack, mixed by Alexander Brendan Ferguson, absolutely taps into the new breed of pop music, Bell added.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a lot of similarities to what my friends listen to and what I do.B次元官网网址�
Glanville said one of his favourite movies is Baz LuhrmannB次元官网网址檚 Romeo+Juliet, which also mixes Shakespeare with modern themes. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e trying to appeal to what young people would find progressive.B次元官网网址�
TodayB次元官网网址檚 young people B次元官网网址渓ive in an electronic and video world. We find another way in to access their interest. I wanted to try something totally different. Something no other companies have done is presenting a full length of the play with a younger cast.B次元官网网址�
Fourty-four actors between age nine and 18 from KaleidoscopeB次元官网网址檚 graduate program make up the cast B次元官网网址� and much of the set. For example, when the characters Hermia, Lysander, Helena and Demetrius fall asleep, cast members depicting trees drape over them.
The most important part of the play is it makes Shakespeare applicable and interesting to a young audience, by doing away with the B次元官网网址渟todgy vibeB次元官网网址� that sometimes accompanies the playwrightB次元官网网址檚 works.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a great production for all ages because it doesnB次元官网网址檛 have that feel of Shakespeare. A lot of kids my age get the idea Shakespeare is boring because of classroom studies, but itB次元官网网址檚 really quite relatable,B次元官网网址� Bell said.
ecardone@vicnews.com
Midsummer in fall
B次元官网网址� When: Nov. 25-26 and Dec. 2, 7 p.m. and Nov. 26-27 and Dec. 3 at 2 p.m.
B次元官网网址� Where: McPherson Playhouse, 3 Centennial Sq.
B次元官网网址ickets: $28.75 at rmts.bc.ca or 250-386-6121
