Westville production presents a world of fantasy
The director of Perchance to Dream chose scenes from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth, The Tempest, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Twelfth Night.
WHEN the theatre world was tragically ‘plunged into a coma’ during 2020, Steven Stead who is best known in Durban for his artistic, dramatically moving and often outrageously stage productions had to find another avenue to preserve and protect the future of theatre.
Stead, the executive director of KickstArt Theatre, began a new chapter by teaching acting and public speaking online, and now at both Westville Boys’ and Girls’ High Schools.
He is currently directing Perchance to Dream which will be held at Westville Boys’ High School from Thursday, 17 June to Saturday, 19 June.
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Stead said he had long wanted to stage a promenade production, where the audience moves from station to station and experiences theatre in various locations on a single evening.
“Upon investigating, I realised that Westville Boys’ High has some beautiful courtyards and charming, tucked away outdoors spaces, that with some lighting and subtle decor, could become quite magical as performance spaces,” he said.
“So, I conceived a fantasy collage of scenes from Shakespeare, titled Perchance to Dream, all linked by the theme of dreaming, that will be performed by seven or eight small casts, in different venues around the school.”
He has chosen scenes from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, The Tempest, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Twelfth Night, and they are using text, movement and music to create an immersive, dream-like experience.
Each scene will be about 10 minutes long, and then fairies escort the audience to the next location.
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“We are lucky to have the talented girls from our sister school, Westville Girls’ High, grace our cast. Everyone has been working very hard to make a bit of unusual theatre magic,” said Stead.
Costume design is by the legendary Peter Court, set design by multi-award-winning Greg King, and lighting design by Michael Broderick.
Perchance to Dream will be presented on 17, 18 and 19 June, with two performances per night, at 5.30pm and 7pm with a very limited seating of 30 people per performance.
Bookings open on 31 May.
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