Magical Midsummer At Socorro High School

Midsummer Blog1

Midsummer "A Joy to Behold" 

Seated only a few feet away from the actors themselves Friday night during Socorro High School’s performance of "A Midsummer Night’s Dream," the audience was greeted with elaborate costumes and a simple set design that allowed for the beautiful Shakespearean masterpiece to shine through.

"A Midsummer Night’s Dream" is a comedy written by William Shakespeare around 1594 to 1596. It portrays the adventures of four young Athenians (Hermia, Lysander, Helena, and Demetrius) on a quest to find true love, and a group of amateur actors (known as the Mechanicals), and the fairies who inhabit a moonlit forest.

Taking on one of Shakespeare's plays is an enormous challenge to undergo, especially for high school theater students. But the Socorro High School “Teatristas” accepted the challenge head on and put on a show that displayed a good range of acting and characterization as well as captivating technical aspects.

Daniel De La Rosa, who played Oberon, the king of the fairies, added such an amount of life and energy to his character that even when he wasn’t the main focus on stage one's eyes were still drawn to him. He never broke character, was always initiating little squabbles with his jester Puck (played by Ana Quinones), or sneaking around the edges of the scene being invisible as he observed the Athenian's drama unfold. Erica Kearby played the part of Helena with an equal amount of poise and rage, maintaining a ladylike personality even though she was distraught over not having Demetrius’s love.

Depsite the projection and annunciation troubles that some of the cast faced, it did not take away from the energy and happiness that all the characters, even the supporting ones possessed. Puck, portrayed by Ana Quinones, was Oberon’s jester who was responsible for all of the confusion that ensued when she mistakenly gave the love juice intended for Demetrius to Lysander. She was basically the narrator of the play and even though her stage time was not as significant as others, she lit up the stage when she came on. With her mischievous smile and joking with Oberon, she was a character that wouldn’t be forgotten. One of the amateur actors, Bottom, played by Madeleine Mannix, contributed in a major way to the comedic aspect of the play. She was not only funny because she played a man’s part, but also because of the enthusiasm and dedication that she brought to her character that made her and all the Mechanicals stand apart from the rest of the cast.

The woodland fairies, who together made up the play’s ensemble, were so beautiful to look at and immediately grabbed everyone’s attention from the moment they danced onstage with their huge poles of glittery streamers. They never broke character even with the trouble that the streamers caused when their large wings would get caught in them. They merely acted as fairies would and calmly and cutely detangled each other from the sparkly streams.

Socorro High School took a different approach to their set design for this production. The set itself was very simple with two long, painted panels that formed a “v” shape with windows cut out of them from which the characters entered or exited. And the entire play took place in what director Troy Herbort called their “backstage theater” which had the audience seated onstage only a few feet away from the actors. It made for a much more intimate viewing, which suited the Shakespearean farce well.

At the end of the night The Teatristas of Socorro High School succeeded in making one of  Shakespeare's masterpieces a joy to behold.

by Caitlin Rodriguez of Eastwood High School

Midsummer Blog 2

Teatristas Presents Exceptional Shakespeare Tale

Imagine a world filled with fantasy, fairies and beautiful Shakespearean English.  William Shakespeare’s comedy, "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" tells the story of four Athenian lovers as they travel in a moonlit forest as they unknowingly come in contact with a surreal world of fairies and a group of amateur actors who have hopes of staging a play. This was written in the late 1500’s and has been performed across the world on numerous stages. The Socorro High School Teatristas recently presented this famous comedy in a production which took spectators on a quest of adventure, magic and laughter.

The actors’ presentation created characters that engaged the audience’s attention.  Actress Erica Kearbey who played the role of Helena gave an extraordinary performance. Her constant use of inflection and high energy allowed the viewers to understand her purpose within the story. In addition, her facial expressions permitted her acting to be believable and created a personage that the audience enjoyed. 

Daniel De La Rosa, portraying the part of Oberon, displayed a wide range of emotions. Furthermore, Daniel’s acting generated a character that developed throughout the course of the story. His broad use of volume permitted him to display different sentiments that caught the viewer’s interest. His sensuality along with his physical beauty shaped the character of Oberon into a remarkable and unforgettable King of the Fairies. 

Another cast member who had a stupendous performance was Christina Vargas who played the part of Quince. Her beautiful English accent was constant and created a character that stood out from the rest of the cast. Her mannerisms on stage contributed to her acting and allowed the audience to believe that Quince was played by a male as written. 

Although having a very small role, the character of Mustard Seed, played by Tasha Bergstrand, was greatly noticed. Her loveliness on stage created a character that the audience fell in love with. Despite having very few lines, Tasha was still able to attract attention every time she was on stage.

The set used by the cast was simple yet effective. With different windows the actors were able to move swiftly and to use their stage wisely. The set also allowed the scene changes to be done quickly and in a non-disruptive manner. The transition from Athens into the moonlit forest was absolutely beautiful. In addition, this scene change was done in character and it made the spectators feel as though they were also on a journey to the mysterious forest. A great feature in this performance was that the audience was seated on the stage. This permitted them to feel as though they too were an element of the play.  The actors also displayed a great variety of levels throughout the comedy. These levels were successful because they drew the viewer’s eyes to different places on the stage. Ano
ther aspect of the play that was fulfilled well was that of the lighting. The lighting design kept the audience interested in the story. In addition, the lighting created mood changes that were crucial for the play. The use of red lighting tones during the fairy scenes provided a sensation of fantasy and magic.

The general aspect of the play was exceptional.  Socorro’s Teatristas entertained the audience and took them to a different dimension.

by Claudia Yoli of Coronado High School

Troy Herbort