UPDATED Thursday, Oct. 29th: Due to inclement weather and unforeseen circumstances, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" set for Friday, Nov. 6th is canceled.  The Westover Theatre Department is in the works of creating a digital version of the production to be shared with community members soon. Thank you for your support! Any questions, please email, Director of Drama, Marla Truini at [email protected].

VERSION SET BEFORE THURSDAY OCT. 29TH: Not all of the magic at work in the upcoming Theatre Program’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream will just be taking place in Westover’s Quad, where Shakespeare’s comedy about bewitched lovers and mischievous fairies will be performed before audiences of students, families, faculty, and staff on Friday, Nov. 9th starting at 7 pm.

Because of the hybrid fall semester brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, almost half of the actors, dancers and technical crew members have been taking part in the production via Zoom from their homes in New York, New Jersey, and North Carolina, and at even greater distances — Kenya, China, and South Korea.

Those conditions have presented admittedly special — but far from insurmountable — challenges for the production. Most of the cast members will be performing live in the Quad, but a number of the actors will appear —thanks to technical “magic” — on screen through video recordings from their home locations.

As with so much of this hybrid production, coming up with costumes and makeup for faraway cast members called for equal measures of ingenuity, imagination, and collaboration.

“The actors from Asia and Africa have been doing an amazing job on the play,” said Marla Truini, Director of Drama. “As you can imagine,” Marla explained, “they have some extra challenges in terms of costumes and makeup, and we have taken the approach that they will create their characters’ costumes using what they have in their homes.”

To assist the off-campus cast members, Marla added, “two students — sophomore Lily Hong and freshman Sophia Kwak — have taken on the roles of costume designers and have been working with the actors individually to guide their choices.”

It’s been absolutely wonderful working with students in China, South Korea, and Kenya. They are an amazing bunch! They come to rehearsal every day ready to work and have done a remarkable job.

A resident of Shanghai, China, Lily had helped with costumes for her middle school drama program, though “at that time, most of our costumes were bought from stores and not handmade.” This is the first time that Sophia, who lives in Seongnam, Korea, has ever worked on costumes, although she said, “I have always wanted to work on them!”

“First,” Sophia said, “the actors did some research and sent us pictures of what they thought their character would look like. Then, looking at those pictures, Lily and I had Zoom conversations with Marla,” brainstorming how best to easily but effectively create the costumes suggested by the actors.

“The first challenge,” Lily said, “was to simplify the costumes in the photos the actors sent us because we could only use materials found at home to make their costumes. We were looking for ways to represent their characters by using simple headwear, clothing, and props.”

“We also brainstormed with the actors,” Sophia said. “We didn’t really know what the actors might have in their houses and what was possible for them, so we had to choose as many alternatives as possible.”

“Later, as they made their costumes Marla, Lily, and I would give them some advice on details,” Sophia added. “The actors were being really creative, and when things were added one-by-one it was so exciting to see the transformation. All of the actors did really well and they look amazing!”

Although the costumes could not be too fancy, Lily explained, it was important they would still quickly and easily identify who each character is. In addition to helping other cast members, Lily herself had to come up with a costume for her own role in the production, the character of Hippolyta. She created a crown for her character by taking leaves from one of her houseplants and painting them gold, then gluing them to a hairband.

Freshman Amy Cheng in Guangzhou, China, portrays Peter Quince, a carpenter who is one of the comical troupe of workmen who are trying to put on a play within the play.

“I was struggling to find the right costume, not knowing what to wear,” Amy recalled. “Luckily, my mom came up with the idea of wearing jeans and a hat and, at first, a white T-shirt. When I showed it to Marla and the costume team, they said it looked pretty cute, but that as Peter Quince I am not supposed to look cute. So, they decided that I should wear a black, long-sleeve shirt and put on a mustache and darker eyebrows, which became my final costume. They turned me from a cute girl into a worker, which is amazing!”

Amy admitted that being a part of the play was not her first choice for her semester afternoon activity; she originally had hoped to play tennis.

I am so thankful that I chose drama. I would have missed so much fun if I did not choose it.

Amy is also relieved that her performance will be recorded on Zoom. “This is my first time in a play,” so she will be able to redo her taped performances if she forgets a line.

“Working with Marla and the other students is so much fun,” Amy added. “My parents even ask me sometimes why am I laughing during class. I definitely feel that I am a part of the production. The actors are nice and Marla has all kinds of warm-up activities to create a bond between all of us. It is a bummer that we cannot work with the actors on campus, but I am excited to see the final production.”

Junior Beldine Atieno Wasonga will be recording her two roles — Theseus and Francis Flute — in Nairobi, Kenya. Beldine is a veteran of a number of Westover productions in her first two years at Westover, including being a member of the cast of an all-virtual production last spring in OUR TOWN 2020, an original work drawn from interviews about individuals’ real-life experiences in the early stages of the pandemic.

Beldine acknowledges that “it has not been easy doing a play virtually. I really struggled with finding the right costume and the right colors that would make me fit into my characters,” Beldine explained, “but thanks to my friends, things worked out well. My friends helped me design my costumes and fixing everything to match both my characters. Marla, Sofia and Lily also played a huge role in helping me come up with costume ideas.”

Reflecting on the experience, Beldine said: “Although doing a play with people all over the world is quite challenging, I enjoyed getting out of my comfort zone as an actor every time and exploring different spaces together with my fellow students. I always felt like I was a part of the production because of how everyone was so understanding, had so much energy, and a smile to warm my day. Marla has been a supportive director through it all, and always motivated me to keep going, even though things were tough at times.”

For Marla, “It’s been absolutely wonderful working with students in China, South Korea, and Kenya. They are an amazing bunch! They come to rehearsal every day ready to work and have done a remarkable job.”

With so many of the cast members of the play scattered across a number of states and countries, Marla said, “Teaching acting over Zoom was definitely a new experience for me, but really, it’s all about activating our imaginations. All the students worked diligently to master the Shakespearean text, and once we got past some initial self-consciousness, we all had a blast. The play is absolutely hilarious, and being able to laugh with my students, especially at this time of social isolation, was a real treat!”

Marla has had another new experience this fall working on this production. “I never thought that as a drama teacher I would also become a ‘film-maker,’ but because of the hybrid nature of this semester’s work, we have a significant video element to the production. One of my former students, Audra Coulombe (a member of the Class of 2005), is a professional video editor in New York City, and she generously offered to help me put this hybrid production together. Audra played the First Fairy in Westover’s 2004 production, so we are coming full-circle! Her generosity is so appreciated by all of us.”

Westover parents, families, friends, faculty, staff, and students can see the results of their collective efforts by attending either the dress rehearsal or the actual performance.

“We are all praying for good weather and a beautiful moon over the Quad,” Marla added. “If you are local we urge you to join us! And if you are not able to be there, we hope you will join us via Livestream for the Friday night show.”

Please call 203.577.4535 to make a reservation. Masks, social distancing, and contact-tracing information will be required. Please bring your own chair or blanket, and be sure to dress warmly.

Please park in the lots at the Fuller Athletic Center or the Louise B. Dillingham Performing Arts Center parking lot, or on the School side of South Street, and walk across the soccer field and enter the Quad through Sallyport. In order to ensure the safety of the community we ask that you do not enter the Main Building at all. Restrooms are located near the History and Language classrooms on the Quad. Handicap parking is available at Chapel Circle. Please contact [email protected] to make arrangements.