Slipstream Theatre Initiative’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

At a Slipstream Theatre Company rehearsal for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” earlier last week – following emotional conversations about Sunday morning’s massacre inside an Orlando gay nightclub – a cast member pointed out that seeing actors lying on the floor with their eyes closed might be too resonant and disturbing.

Why? Because the Ferndale-based Slipstream, about a year ago, had planned to set their all-male production of Shakespeare’s comedy in a gay nightclub.

“There’s this moment when all the lovers are sleeping on the ground,” said Slipstream artistic director/actor Bailey Boudreau. ” … And it was pointed out to us by this kid in the cast – he’d pulled someone aside and said, ‘It kind of looks like they’re dead when they’re on the ground.’ It was the scariest thing.”

That moment ended up being one of a handful of staging choices that needed to be carefully re-evaluated, discussed and tweaked by Boudreau, director Luna Alexander and the cast in the week leading up to “Midsummer”‘s opening.

“In the play, of course, our characters are fortunate enough to get up, with a fairy’s blessing,” said Alexander. “Remembering what’s happened, we hope that maybe we can help with the healing.” READ THE REST HERE