Carlmont drama’s fall production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” was performed on the main stage for the first time in four years on Oct. 19-22.
According to Elizabeth Berg, the Carlmont drama teacher and the director of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” most of the fall productions for Carlmont drama were performed in the studio theater, which includes last year’s production of “Scenes from Metamorphoses.” In 2019, the fall production of “As You Like It” was performed on the main stage. Prior to that, “The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe” was also performed on the main stage.
“Most of the time, the fall play has been performed in the studio theater. Every few years it’s been on the main stage,” Berg said.
Berg had discussed performing the fall play on the main stage with the Performing Arts Team for the past year. She decided to have the performance on the big stage to accommodate a larger cast and bring in a larger audience.
“I thought that having a larger space would really give us the freedom to have as many actors in the cast as we wanted to have there, and also to be able to invite a larger audience and see our shows,” Berg said.
Preparation for the performance was difficult, and many actors faced challenges a week before the performance.
“I think the knowledge that opening night is in a week, and this is where we are is kind of scary. I think a lot of people are still forgetting lines. I have faith that it will come together, it’s just kind of nerve-racking,” said Kate Dimon, a sophomore playing the role of Hippolyta.
Performing on the main stage was also a lot more challenging, especially for newer actors. However, there were benefits, as a larger performance could allow actors to get used to performing in front of a large audience.
“It might be a little harder to adjust, the studio theater is a very familiar environment for drama kids and I think that made it a little less nerve-wracking. It would help to have a production on the big stage because it gets you acclimated to performing in front of a big audience,” said Jessie Rizvi, a senior playing the role of Lysander.
The fall play has encouraged many actors like Dimon to continue to perform in the fall productions.
“I think the play is really fun and I would love to keep doing it in future years and I would love to be in more fall plays,” Dimon said.
Unlike the fall play, Carlmont’s spring play is scheduled to be performed in the Studio Theater. Berg stated that she could not reveal where next year’s production would be performed yet.
“I can’t really speak to anything about the future yet,” Berg said.
Many of the actors and crew members continue to participate in productions through the upcoming winter production of “The Little Mermaid” and the spring play which has not yet been disclosed.
Performing on the main stage was a scary experience for many, however, it proved to be an exciting experience that helped a lot of young actors grow.
“It’s a lot easier on a small stage with a small amount of people, it’s definitely less stressful. Seeing the ticket sales, there’s a lot of people that are coming and the knowledge that there’s gonna be a lot of people watching me is kind of scary, but it’s also really exciting. It feels very professional, that we’re in such a big theater,” Dimon said.
