A Midsummer Night's Dream

Theseus/Oberon

Oxford Castle

Directed by Alex Nicholls

Outdoor summer Shakespeare? There's nothing better, especially in a historic location like the Oxford Castle. It was a huge privilege to perform there for a two week run this July.

We were up against it with the weather - performing (read: melting) in 38 degree heat for three days in a row was no mean feat, with the heat re-radiating from the stones of the castle courtyard, but it is an experience I will never forget.

I love the imagery and the poetry in this play, so it was a little shame that a couple of the more famous sections of Oberon's monologues were cut to reduce run time, but there was enough left there for me to really sink my teeth into the words and the beauty that Oberon sees in the natural world. (Perhaps there's a very poignant adaptation of this play set in the modern day, with the looming threats of climate change and extinction, which would explain Oberon's disdain and fury towards the human mortals?) Sometimes it really feels like you're casting a spell over an audience with his words, and that feeling is truly unrivalled.

One thing that I learned from this production is the versatility of Shakespeare's writing. There's a reason that many of his plays are well-loved staples of the summer theatre season across the UK, but it really is the excitement and energy injected into the script - the poetry, the prose and the comedy - that brings the shows to life. This personal revelation came mostly from working with Rachael Twyford, who played Puck alongside me as Oberon, in the fairyland scenes. The way that she squeezed every last drop of physicality and joy from her lines encouraged me to experiment more with the playful, ethereal and volatile sides of Oberon. Soon enough, we were prancing round the stage together and I could feel the audience buying into it more and more. There are so many different ways in which this text can be interpreted and exploring a few different options will only enhance the overall performance. In the long run, I'd like to try and bring this philosophy into my other projects and allow myself to play around with my characterisations more.

I really wanted to make something more out of the comedy involving Theseus, particularly at the end of the play. I believe that Shakespeare was written for the common people and that Theseus represents a caricature of of the upper classes, so I tried to lean into a more pathetic and childish voice reminiscent, I felt, of some of the monarchs in Blackadder. This choice worked well with his interjections in the performance of Pyramus and Thisbe and it allowed for a more engaging delivery of his speech about the hounds too. I think that is part of what I am most proud of in this production - the characters I played were really my own (hopefully) unique interpretations of the script.

This was my longest run with a single show to date - 11 performances over two weeks - and, as I've noticed before with slightly longer runs, the extra time really allows you to get comfortable with a character and be more in the moment during the scenes onstage, feeling and reacting to things in real time. I believe this only results in a more authentic and genuine performance. By the end of the two weeks, I felt my scenes were quite polished and dynamic.

Overall, this was an incredibly enjoyable and educational experience in my acting career - who knows, maybe I'll and come back to the Oxford Castle next year for some more Shakespeare?