A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM SYNOPSIS

ACT 1. Scene 1.

In the kingdom of Athens, Duke Theseus is preparing for his upcoming wedding to Queen Hippolyta. Egeus, a noble Athenian citizen, visits Theseus in search of his royal help. Egeus demands that Hermia, his daughter, marry Demetrius, his favorite suitor. Hermia refuses Demetrius as she is in love with another suitor named Lysander.

Theseus and Hippoloyta agree with Egeus, and tell Hermia she can either marry Demetrius or never marry at all. Under Athenian law, disobedience of this decree could result in Hermia's execution.

Hermia and Lysander decide to run away from Athens in order to stay together. Before they flee to the forest, Hermia shares the news with Helena, her best friend. Helena wishes Hermia and Lysander luck with their plans to escape and envies their love.

Helena, who is in love with Demetrius, decides to tell Demetrius of Hermia's plans in order to turn his affection to her instead. She runs away to go find him and tattle about the impending elopement.

ACT 1. Scene 2.

Elsewhere in Athens, a troupe of amateur actors make plans to rehearse a play for the Duke and Queen's upcoming wedding. They plan to act out the ancient story of "Pyramus and Thisbe." The parts are assigned to the performers, and they all make a plan to rehearse later in the forest outside of Athens.

ACT 2. Scene 1.

Oberon and Titania, the royal couple of the fairy realm, have been fighting, causing chaos in their kingdom. Titania has adopted a son of one of her followers. Oberon wants this young boy to be his assistant, but Titania will not part with him.

Puck (in our production, represented by two performers) is a fairy who works for Oberon. Oberon informs Puck that he wants to play a trick on Titania, placing her under a love spell to distract her from the boy. Puck goes out to find a magical flower in the forest to help with the spell.

In the same forest, Helena is chasing Demetrius, who is trying to find Hermia and Lysander. Helena showers Demetrius with her affection, but Demetrius tells her to get lost.

Oberon, who has observed this entire scene, takes pity on Helena, and instructs Puck to use the same magical love flower on "the Athenian man," meaning Demetrius.

ACT 2. Scene 2.

Titania falls alseep and Oberon drops magic flower dew to her eyes, putting her under a love spell.

Lysander and Hermia, who have fled to the forest, are lost. Exhausted, they stop to rest nearby. Puck sees this and, mistakenly taking Lysander to be the Athenian man Oberon was referring to, puts the flower drops in his eyes.

Demetrius and Helena arrive nearby. Demetrius leaves Helena, who stumbles upon Lysander. When Lysander wakes up, he immediately sees Helena and falls in love with her.

Helena thinks Lysander's professions of love are cruel jokes and leaves him behind. Lysander abandons the sleeping Hermia to chase after Helena. When Hermia wakes up from a bad dream, she realizes she is all alone and goes in search of Lysander.

ACT 3. Scene 1.

The troupe of amateur actors, also known as the "rude mechanicals," are rehearsing their play in the forest. Puck observes their rehearsal and magically transforms one of the actors, Bottom, into a beast with the head of a donkey. The rest of the mechanicals flee in terror!

Bottom, now left all alone, sings to himself, waking up the nearby Titania. When she sees the transformed Bottom, she magically falls in love with him and immediately takes him away to her personal chambers.

ACT 3. Scene 2.

Puck tells Oberon that he's successfully completed his tasks, but when Demetrius enters in search of Hermia, Puck discovers that he's placed the wrong Athenian man under the love spell. A distraught Demetrius stops to rest. While he sleeps, Oberon anoints his eyes with the love potion.

Helena appears, still being wooed by Lysander. Demetrius wakes up, sees Helena and falls in love with her too. Helena doesn't believe either of the men and scolds them both for mocking her.

Just then, Hermia appears after searching all over the forest for Lysander. While she is thrilled to find Lysander, he insults her, explaining he is now only in love with Helena.

Hermia is shocked and believes her best friend Helena has turned both Lysander and Demetrius against her. Helena believes the Hermia is using the two men to play a trick on her. The two friends prepare to fight.

Lysander and Demetrius, both crazed with love for Helena, prepare to duel in order to win her love. Everyone fights.

Oberon instructs Puck to stop this quarrel. Puck deceives the lovers by impersonating one another and leading them all over the forest to tire out.

When Hermia, Helena, Lysander and Demetrius all fall asleep, Puck lifts the spell off of Lysander, restoring order to the couples.

ACT 4. Scene 1.

Titania and her fairies are doting on Bottom, pampering him with whatever he requests. After laughing at this scene, Oberon instructs Puck to remove the spells from Titania and Bottom.

Titania, no longer under the spell, reunites with Oberon, restoring peace to their fairy kingdom.

Duke Theseus, Queen Hippolyta and Egeus enter the woods, ready to celebrate May Day when they discover the four lovers asleep.

Lysander and Hermia explain how they escaped Athens to be together. When Egeus learns this, he asks Duke Theseus to punish them. Just then, Demetrius explains that he is now in love with Helena. Theseus and Hippolyta decide that the happy couples should all stay together and grants them their approval to marry.

While the lovers and royalty return to Athens, Bottom, no longer half-donkey, wakes up from what he believes to be an extremely odd dream.

ACT 4. Scene 2.

The mechanicals attempt to rehearse, but realize they can't perform without Bottom, who they regretfully abandoned in the forest. Just then, Bottom - back in human form - appears and shares the news that their play has been selected for a performance at the royal court that evening.

ACT 5. Scene 1.

That evening at the palace, the mechanicals present the story of "Pyramus and Thisbe" to everyone in attendance. The play is comically bad and so ridiculous that the audience enjoy laughing at it.

When it is time for bed, Titania and Oberon enter and bless the three couples - Theseus and Hippolyta, Lysander and Hermia, and Demetrius and Helena - with good luck.

Puck talks to us in the audience and asks us to think of the play we've just experienced to be a dream and wishes the audience a good night.

FIN

Credits:

Photos by Michael Brosilow.