Nestling in the Downs at Brighton and Hove Golf Course on a summer’s evening, a cast of six entertained us all by producing Shakespeare’s timeless play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It’s set mainly in the woods outside Athens, making the setting of the golf course both beautiful and fitting. Andy Colter acts as Puck, the fairy, and makes mischief among two young couples and a merry band of craftsmen, who are amateur actors, with comic consequences.

Hermia is forced to run from her father to the forest, hotly pursued by two suitors. Her best friend, Helena follows, and chaos ensues when Puck’s fairy dust goes astray. Instructed by Oberon, King of the fairies, Puck plays a trick on the lead actor, compounding the humour at the expense of Oberon’s queen, Titania. Eventually Oberon orders Puck to put things right.

Look out for the play within the play, Pyramus and Thisbe, typical of Shakespeare who often pokes fun at playwrights and actors. While they may be somewhat lacking in talent, the amateur company revel in the camaraderie and a good time is had by all. All of the main characters double up as actor-craftsmen with Bottom stealing most of the laughs.

Abigail Davis plays the character of Helena very well and is at one point described as a ‘spaniel.’ Maria Elsey, who is Hermia, cannot understand why she loses all of her customary male attention. Lysander (Jordan Gardner) and Demetrius (Eliot Hay) compete for female attention as young men often do, although not in ways you might expect.

Direction by Sarah Slator and Ethan Taylor is excellent, particularly the movement of the actors which injects humour and brings Shakespeare’s lines to life. Simon Stallard is responsible for musical composition that entertains the audience from the start. Puck plays his fiddle throughout the production.

Sarah Slator said: “Suitable for audiences of all ages and with live music throughout arranged by the company’s Resident Composer Simon Stallard, our adaptation of William Shakespeare’s hilarious love story is packed with merriment, music and plenty of mischief and is sure to be all that This Is My Theatre audiences have come to love about our shows!”

Sarah has worked for a number of theatres including Chichester Festival Theatre, The Hawth Theatre and Brighton Open Air Theatre, and has worked on both UK and international tours for companies as a movement director.

I recommend this accomplished production by This Is My Theatre: it has pace and humour, and the setting is stunning.

St Peter & St Paul Church, West Wittering
Saturday 14 September at 18:30pm

St Botolph’s Church, Steyning
Monday 16 September at 7pm

Photo credits: Ethan Taylor, This is my theatre (TIMT)