The next generation literally is flying high at the Guthrie Theater for the next nine weeks. Young actors nurtured by the theater's nationally emulated training programs are starring alongside veterans in "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
Given unprecedented backstage access, we spent six weeks chronicling the complex, detail-laden creative process leading up to tonight's opening. The resulting package of stories, photos and videos provides a glimpse into the arc of an actor's development, as well as a sense of how Shakespeare's romantic comedy holds up under director Joe Dowling's post-Sept. 11 vision.
The read-through
"Now, fair Hippolyta," Nic Few began, and the first read-through of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" got underway, the actors' yellow highlighters making a hushed skritch as they marked their lines. Seated around the circle of nine tables was an unusual combo of younger and older players, each group watching the other with keen attention.
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How the fairies fly
Aerial stunts director Jon Stead and his team teaches the young actors the discipline of remaining safe while hanging from the rafters. Most say it's fun, but the thrill of theater comes with some aches and pains.
Overview of 'MIdsummer's Night Dream'
Using this “Midsummer” as a showcase for young actors was a test of sorts for the Department of Company Development that Dowling created with the University of Minnesota. Valeri Mudek talks about her education, and the resulting magic.
Elaborate costumes
Costume designer Paul Tazewell explains how Shakespeare’s text and Joe Dowling’s vision inspired him to create costumes that draw upon Native American silhouettes. Oh, and how to make a man wear the head of an ass.
Finding the right voice
Nic Few and voice consultant Andrew Wade talk about how to give Shakespeare’s language its full value. The initial impulse to make it sound casual isn’t the right tactic. Rather, Wade says, let your imagination reach the words.
Set creation: A huge staircase, an egg and stalagmites
Building a set is an intuitive process, says designer Frank Hallinan Flood. But among the spheres and the stalagmites, there’s also the unprecedented challenge of rolling a huge staircase from warehouse to stage.
Time-lapse view of the set construction
The Guthrie undertook the largest stage production in its history for this play. View the elaborate set as it's built from the ground up.