A Midsummer Night’s Dream

by William Shakespeare
  
The Utah Shakespeare Festival 2023

Director Jessica Kubzansky
Scenic Designer Jo Winiarski
Costume Designer Ann Closs-Farley
Lighting Designer Robert Aguilar
Sound Designer/Composer Joe Payne
Music Director Brandon Scott Grayson
Choreographer André Spathelf-Sanders
Stage Manager Sarah Goshman

“This luxurious tale of fairies, dreams, and moonlight is Shakespeare’s most popular comedy. ‘The course of true love never did run smooth’ and when the feuding king and queen of the fairies interfere in the mercurial romances of mortals, the result is magical mayhem. Leave it to the roguish Puck, impish fairies, young lovers, and bumbling would-be actors to create pure pandemonium!”

Jessica created a world that was magical, mysterious, and fluid in the forest, but angular and strict in Athens. So, I created a score for Athens that was a clock punctuated by rhythm and metered strings. The Forest became ethereal bells, harps, and impish percussion. The soundscape included the talented Zina Johnstun as the unscripted fairy, Fiddlefern, who played many musical percussion toys live throughout the play to accentuate magic and mood in conjunction with recorded magical sound effects. Max Gallagher, who wonderfully played Puck, beautifully sang a number of songs that I butcher in the composition demo below. The production was a delightful feast for the senses, with energy and vibrant color. It was said that Fred Adams, the founder of the Utah Shakespeare Festival, would have truly loved this production for its fantastical aesthetic and its accessibility. 

Review: Rarely have I loved a summer evening with Shakespeare as much as I loved this year’s A Midsummer Nights Dream at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Each element of this production hums with this human-created magic, including the sharp performances, the lovely original music and sound scoring, the colorful set, and the sumptuous costumes. (My word, the costumes!) I hardly know where to begin. Jo Winiarski‘s set, Ann Closs-Farley’s costumes, and Joe Payne‘s musical score have merged here into a sensory atmosphere that I could happily write 10,000 words about. Every member of this design team must be congratulated… Payne has crafted a delightful forest soundscape to underpin the show, and all the magical sounds are performed live on stage by Zina Johnstun, a mischievous fairy dubbed “Fiddlefern” in the program… I do not think a theatrical production has ever impressed me more with such extraordinary technical work. The newest production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Utah Shakespeare Festival has brought together a team of artists who prove to me once again that true magic is possible when passionate and talented people unite around a common vision. A dream indeed. – by Miranda Giles, Utah Theatre Bloggers, Article Link

Music and Effect Sequences

Demo of songs for the actors to sing, sung poorly by composer Joe Payne 🙂

Click here to listen to more clips and to purchase this score.

_{Photos by Karl Hugh}