Adaptation overview: a Game of Thrones Red Wedding
The Wasteland Theatre Company production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream stays true to the original script and language (with cut lines, and minor contemporary adaptations to our post-apocalyptic universe).
However, half way through Act 4, Scene 1 we take a major divergence from the original script, which affects the rest of the play in a big way.
I have been reading numerous critiques of AMSND, many of which say it is rank with patriarchy, others say the women of the play (especially Hermia) are symbolic of resistance. I also read a few critiques that modern adaptations rarely add anything "new" to the play. There have been some adaptations which play with gender role reversals to challenge the heteronormative original play, but not much beyond that.
So how can The Wasteland Theatre Company do something different?
One character stood out to me in particular. In Shakespeare’s play, Titania, Queen of the Fairies is a strong-willed Queen who is nevertheless tricked by the King, Oberon, into giving up her adopted child, and is made to fall in love with an ass.
This didn’t sit well with me, and in the Wasteland we know such an act would not go unanswered.
In this adaptation, I looked at Titania as the "foil" to Oberon's schemes, and re-wrote her to be as cunning as Oberon, only with a vengeance.
The stakes for Titania (and Helena, Hermia, Hippolyta) are much greater than the stakes for the men: losing a son, loving one who doesn't love you, an oppressive father and cruel law, and of course forced marriage as a war prize–as is with Hippolyta in the original.
Titania is the Queen of the Fairies. How could she let Oberon carry out all these devious plans, make an "ass" of her, and trick her into giving away her boy?
Well, in this Wasteland adaptation, Titania knows all along what Oberon is up to. She is no fool, and she has her fairies who can spy for her as "little sparrows". The forest is her eyes and ears.
In our adaptation, Titania knows what’s up, resulting in the women of the play plasma-mini-gunning the men in a Red Wedding style bloodbath. It is the Wasteland after all, so why not?
Northern_Harvest
Artistic Director
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