{"id":415,"date":"2015-01-24T17:56:27","date_gmt":"2015-01-24T17:56:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cpwp.comptonplayers.co.uk\/?page_id=415"},"modified":"2015-02-21T11:42:11","modified_gmt":"2015-02-21T11:42:11","slug":"a-midsummer-nights-dream","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.comptonplayers.co.uk\/comptonplayers-c\/?page_id=415","title":{"rendered":"A Midsummer Night’s Dream"},"content":{"rendered":"

by William Shakespeare<\/span><\/p>\n

15th – 16th May 1962<\/h2>\n

The play features three interlocking plots, connected by a celebration of the wedding of Duke Theseus of Athens and the Amazon queen, Hippolyta, and set simultaneously in the woodland, and in the realm of Fairyland, under the light of the moon.<\/p>\n

\"midsummer<\/a>\"midummer<\/a><\/p>\n

The Cast<\/strong><\/p>\n

Theseus, Duke of Athens: Geoffrey Kinder
\nHippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, betrothed to Theseus: Cheryl Crowe
\nEgeus, father of Hermia: Peter Monger
\nLysander, in love with Hermia: Michael Yates
\nDemetrius, in love with Hermia: Tom Stephens
\nHermia, daughter of Egeus, in love with Lysander: Jane Cruickshank
\nHelena, in love with Demetrius: Sydney Hardwick
\nQuince, a carpenter: Andrew Latham
\nSnug, a Joiner: David Bungard
\nBottom, a weaver: Sandy Walton
\nFlute, a Bellows mender: John Grimes
\nSnout, a Tinker: William Beale
\nStarveling, a Tailor: Peter Palfrey
\nOberon, King of the fairies: Gordon Black
\nTitania, Queen of the fairies: Carol Williams
\nPuck, or Robin Goodfellow: Jimmy Dillon
\nA Fairy: Simone Bune
\nPeaseblossom: Angela Williams
\nCobweb: Christine Pearce
\nMoth: Janet McDonald
\nMustardseed: Christine Goddard<\/p>\n

Court attendants Barry Dillon, Philip Alder
\nFairies Sandra Burnett, Jane Calloway, Joan Griffiths, Linda Hoppen, Janet Mills, Doreen Moss, Brenda Phillips, Frances Pugh, Evelyn Smith, Mary Studart, Camille Summerfield, Valerie Tarrant, Joyce Urwin, Maureen Wernham, Anne Whitmore, Jacqueline Wooldridge.<\/p>\n

Musicians Elizabeth Monger, Roger Hutt, Robert Halls, Gloria Brown, Anthony Prior, Regina Smewing, Gail Ford, Linda Kearn, Paul Cook, Stanley Harrison, Trevor Cartwright.<\/p>\n

\u2018You spotted snakes\u2019 sung by Janet Merritt and Alison Chaplin<\/p>\n

Produced by Sandy Walton<\/p>\n

Newbury Weekly News review<\/h3>\n
\n

Shakespeare pulls in the crowds in Compton<\/h2>\n

By incorporating Compton Players\u2019 talents, Compton School production of A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream<\/strong>, the Downs School had all the success it deserved.<\/p>\n

Over 500 people attended the two performances last Tuesday and Wednesday. The music was specially composed by Geoffrey Kinder who also directed the dancing and parts taken by the schoolchildren.<\/p>\n

Subtle lighting and the haunting strains of the recorders as the fairies danced in the wood, immediately created the right atmosphere for a midsummer night\u2019s dream and held great promise of things to come.<\/p>\n

For a young schoolgirl, Cheryll Crowe, as Hippolyta did well with her presentation of so regal a character, Geoffrey Kinder took the part of Theseus, Duke of Athens. There was plenty of scope for the schoolchildren as the lesser characters, and they were well able to cope with Titania (Carol Williams) and Oberon (Gordon Black) but one felt that Puck (Jimmy Dillon) might have shown a little more delight in his dare-devilish pranks.<\/p>\n

The girls spoke with clear, well-modulated voices, but unfortunately the boys are still inclined to swallow their words. Geoffrey Kinder\u2019s arrangement of \u201cYou spotted snakes\u201d was beautifully sung by Jane Merritt and Alison Chaplin<\/p>\n

The four lovers \u2013 Hermia (Jane Cruikshank), Helena (Sydney Hardwick), Lysander (Michael Yates) and Demetrius (Tom Stephens) \u2013 were well cast, with sharp contrasts in voice and stature, and the adult\u2019s more mature acting gave substance to their parts as against the imaginative world portrayed by the school children. Acting and interpretation of the lovers\u2019 parts was excellent. They kept the play alive and with Hermia and Helena throwing slanderous accusations at each other the climax came with a dramatic flourish.<\/p>\n

The Athenian workmen are always a source of amusement and no Bottom was ever better-loved that that of Sandy Walton, the producer. Credit was also earned by Andrew Latham as Quince \u2013 indeed it was hard to imagine just who he might be in real life. With William Beale (Snout), David Bungard (Snug), John Grimes (Flute), and peter Palfrey (Starveling), they formed a merry crowd and their antics gave the audience many an opportunity for laughter.
\nThe production raised \u00a340 for the School\u2019s swimming pool fund.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by William Shakespeare 15th – 16th May 1962 The play features three interlocking plots, connected by a celebration of the wedding of Duke Theseus of Athens and the Amazon queen, Hippolyta, and set simultaneously in the woodland, and in the realm of Fairyland, under the light of the moon. The Cast Theseus, Duke of Athens: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comptonplayers.co.uk\/comptonplayers-c\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/415"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comptonplayers.co.uk\/comptonplayers-c\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comptonplayers.co.uk\/comptonplayers-c\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comptonplayers.co.uk\/comptonplayers-c\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comptonplayers.co.uk\/comptonplayers-c\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=415"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.comptonplayers.co.uk\/comptonplayers-c\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/415\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4774,"href":"https:\/\/www.comptonplayers.co.uk\/comptonplayers-c\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/415\/revisions\/4774"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comptonplayers.co.uk\/comptonplayers-c\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comptonplayers.co.uk\/comptonplayers-c\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}