"A Midsummer Night's Dream": The Director's Cut Critique

A Midsummer Night's Dream - Act 1, Scene 2

          This performance of Act 1, Scene 2 compares to the suggestions I made in my Director’s Cut organizer since all of the characters acted in the way I interpreted them to. Peter Quince was definitely a major character that spoke a majority of the scene with a strong tone of voice and several gestures. Nick Bottom was also a major character since he acted like he was better than everybody else. He was a handsome man who moved continuously across the stage, talking and gesturing towards his cast members. Francis Flute gestured multiple times when arguing with Quince. Robin Starveling and Tom Snout remained minor in this performance, just as I had suggested. Lastly, the comic scenes came across funny, and not rude. However, in contrast, the cast interacted with each other more than I predicted. Francis Flute did not act as disappointed as I thought he would when he found out he had to play the role of a woman. Also, Snug did not gesture shyly towards his cast members while barely moving across the stage.

          The positive aspects of this performance are when Flute lied on the ground under Bottom’s foot while he showed off his acting skills, highlighting Bottom's importance. It was effective when the entire cast clapped for Bottom’s performance and laughed when he imitated a woman’s voice, truly showing his prominence in the scene. I also enjoyed when the entire cast ran off the stage in a clumsy manor at the end of the play to show their excitement.

          This performance could have been improved if Flute acted more disappointed when he was given the role of Thisbe. This would have created more of an importance for him, which would have allowed him to effectively argue with Quince. If Snug had gestured shyly towards his cast members, his significance would have been more prominent. The cast could have gestured towards the audience more frequently to create suspense within certain scenes. All in all, this performance correlated with my suggestions very well, with almost no contrasts.