Experience Shakespeare's Midsomer Night's Dream with a Drunken Twist

Experience Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream with a Drunken Twist

Ana Padilla Fornieles | Nov 23, 2021 10:14 am | Add a comment | 479 reads

Ah, William Shakespeare. We owe him A Midsummer Night’s Dream, widely performed across the world before reaching you, dear reader, here in Beijing. Hardly could’ve the Bard of Avon ever dreamt of such a tiddly cast of expats masterfully enacting a rather irreverent twist on the eventful nuptials of Theseus and Hippolyta. O, though they be but amateurs, they be fierce enough to have sold out their three functions (Dec 4, 10 and 11) and so Lord, what fools you mortals be if you didn’t rush to secure your tickets. If you don’t believe me, meet Laurel Burns, self-proclaimed So Cal weirdo and theatre aficionado, who's joined forces with Middle Kingdom Creatives to present you with Drunk Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream at SHANG Building.

Salutations, Laurel! The premise for this Drunk Shakespeare is “a night at the theatre with a drunken twist”. What’s the story behind it?
We’ve been earnestly rehearsing this Shakespeare play for about two months. We’ve done all of the expected text analysis and have tirelessly practiced the staging. But, come performance night, I’ll draw four actors’ names at random to drink three shots of liquor before we begin our show! There’s also more plot-driven drinking during the performance, as well as some audience participation.

It’s the element of danger that really attracted me to this project (and of course my affinity for both Shakespeare and drinking). My initial inspiration came from the groups in New York and Chicago who produce “Drunk Shakespeare” performances. However, our show strays from their original format and has become its own beast. Really excited to see how the audience reacts!

How did you choose your cast? Did you get a good response and what were you looking for in your casting?
The final push to mount this show that had been brewing in my mind was sparked from a conversation in an American WeChat group where we were reminiscing about amateur community theatre back in the States.

I’d thought I’d be scrambling to even find a tiny group of actors playing multiple characters. But, the response to the initial audition notice was shockingly huge! So I decided to have actors audition “formally” with videos. Then my trusted friend and Stage Manager, Sam, and I considered their performances, schedules, and also, in a way, their demographics. Our goal is to create a sense of community. By casting actors from across different “groups” in Beijing, we hoped to bring together people who may never have a reason to meet before… and I think we succeeded!

Fairly sure this “passion project” run by an amateur has taken quite a bit of work. Share with us some of the hurdles you have faced!
Without a doubt the biggest struggle was SCHEDULING! Sam and I used all our brain juice to figure out a schedule that worked for all twenty of our actors.

Drunk Shakespeare isn't your first foray into theatre; you’re one of the current leaders of the city's beloved Beijing Improv. I’d love to hear your take on the local theatre scene. What drew you into it? Were you welcomed into a blossoming universe of its own, or was there something missing?
Having been in Beijing for nearly five years, I haven’t noticed much of an amateur theatre scene here. Beijing Improv seemed to be the only notable and established group offering performances and workshops for the community. When my stars aligned in fall of 2020, I saw an audition notice for Beijing Improv. Many of their former performers were no longer in China after COVID times.

I’ve been performing with them ever since, and it’s been a real source of joy and inspiration for me. It’s made me realize that the opportunities I wanted to see for accessible performance projects just needed to be created. That’s when Drunk Shakespeare came alive.

What’s in your creative future? Where can anyone that catches the theatre bug find you?
I hope to continue with Drunk Shakespeare in 2022 with another play (Macbeth?). Hopefully there’ll be opportunities for other performances too! We just need to create them! Anyone wanting to get in on the community can find me at a show (or a bar), or connect with Middle Kingdom Creatives on WeChat (WeChat ID: MKCreatives).