“Set your hearts at rest.
The fairy land buys not the child of me”
This argument made me realise that although the fairies have magical
powers they are very similar to humans. However the fairies believe that
humans have,
“Mortal grossness.”
They don’t like humans as they believe they are big, smelly, non-magical, loud, dim and clumsy the complete opposite of fairies. In my opinion, however different the fairies and the humans are they both have the same feelings and emotions.
The fairies are light, delicate and magical. Although I feel the fairies are close to nature I decided to move them away from the natural image, like I first imagined. This was because the fairies are connected with all parts of nature including the not so nice and unpleasant side.
“You spotted snakes with double tongue, Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen”
I decided that my fairies would be similar to humans as they show all the
same emotions throughout the play. My fairies therefore have a very
modern image, I also decided that each fairy should have its own
individual look; as each has its own character. Some of the fairies costumes would include jeans, jewellery, sunglasses and even some revealing items of clothing. Presenting the fairies in this way shows a connection between humans and fairies. My fairies have wings showing a distinction between the two worlds. Making them magical and mysterious. Allowing each fairy to have an individual design meant the production would be fun and colourful. When creating my fairies I imagined them walking down catwalks showing off proud to be what they are. I felt this way because none of the fairies in the play seem shy; Puck in particular is very full of himself.
“I jest to Oberon, and make him smile”
For my fairy world I wanted my audience to believe they have just walked into new world full of magic and mystery. I have decided that my fairy world is going to be hidden by a waterfall. The waterfall will create a link between scenes and also create a distraction. So some scenery can be changed. Behind the waterfall will be the magical world of the fairies. The water would combine with music to give a feeling of magic; the sound of a harp would create this feeling, as it is a very beautiful musical sound. Lighting gels could be projected onto the water giving different colours. This would change the mood and atmosphere of the production another magical effect. Once the water has stopped, the stage is revealed. On the left side of the stage there is a huge tree. Behind this tree is a pole from which the fairies enter. This idea came from the idea about the cyclorama projection. As the background isn’t real I decided that if the fairies had a different entrance from the humans their world would look separate making it more realistic. However, Titania and Oberon would not use this entrance to show their authority. They would enter upstairs next to the cyclorama. For Thesus’s palace the tree would be turned around and a stone column would cover the pole replacing the tree. At first I had a problem as the tree branches would be much wider than the column. To prevent this the tree branches could fold away mechanically, by the touch of a button hiding the tree. The waterfall would hide the change. The column/tree would need to rotate and the tree branches would need to fold in or out depending on the scene. The waterfall is an ideal cover-up for this change. The idea that there are 2 different worlds comes from the script.
“That they have overborne their continents.”
In this speech Titania’s mood changes as she explains that the human world is being affected, because of their arguments showing how powerful Oberon and Titania are. When they enter it is important that people realise how much authority they have. To show this my play would have pyrotechnics. At the front of the stage I would have big sparks like fireworks, which glisten with glitter. I would also black out the stage during this so they could enter without being seen. Music is an important element to this effect, as it adds magic and mystery. I would use a loud bang during the argument suggesting anger. For the rest of the play I would use a gentle sound such as a glockenspiel, to give a magical effect. The rocks at the side of the stage show that we are looking through the waterfall into another world. The flowers show beauty, and during the non-forest scenes I would have the lighting change the colour of them to block them out. Flowers are a feature of my set because the fairies refer to them frequently.
“It fell upon a little western flower.”
Flowers are also a very beautiful feature showing the forest plantation. The middle stairs are for fairy exits again this idea was created from the cyclorama design. By going up these stairs it looks like the fairies are going deeper into their world. Oberon and Titania are the only fairies who would enter by the stairs.
Lighting is an effective feature in all productions. Lighting can replace heavy stage scenery and can provide a link of magic. Lighting also creates atmosphere and location therefore it is an important element of my production. I can use lighting to show different settings and hide some immovable scenery. Lighting helps to create a deeper look into the world of the fairies and to extend the limits of the stage. I would use gobo projections of a village showing where the fairies live in the forest scenes. During other scenes the cyclorama would be plain black. I designed a projection to include a river, which connects with the idea of the waterfall. To show movement and activity so that the cyclorama isn’t just a picture I think that a little lights should move around on the projection suggesting fairy movement. Several small spotlights moved around throughout the production would bring the fairy world alive. The scenery used includes architectural and projected images, which can be changed instantly.
My “Midsummer’s Night Dream” production would use lighting, music, pyrotechnics, set design and costumes to create the world of the fairies. I wanted to create a very modern, fun and different world on stage. I am particularly impressed with my costume design and my waterfall idea. I think that these ideas would benefit a production of “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” because they are different and entertaining. The costumes show a connection to the human world whereas the waterfall shows a distinction to the type of lives the fairies live. The waterfall gives a feeling of magic and mystery. These are two aspects, which I wanted to portray in my production.
