“Hamlet”. “Romeo and Juliet”. “Much Ado About Nothing”. “The Tempest”.
Among English playwright William Shakespeare’s many tragedies and comedies, West Chicago Community High School students viewed the modern interpretation of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Feb. 27.
Offered to the high school’s English classes, such as AP Literature and AP Language, the field trip started in the auditorium, where students completed various group activities discussing the play and its themes. Volunteer students were called on stage to act in a brief summarized version of the play in an attempt to translate the Shakespearean language and story presented.
“I honestly thought we were going to do a lot [more] than just kind of standing there and speaking on the microphone, but it was pretty good,” senior Chris Nunez, who acted in the student recreation, said.
Viewers from the crowd found the reenactment entertaining, but maybe not so helpful.
“I thought the play was a little chaotic, but it was funny seeing the people I know up there,” junior Olivia Simmons said.
Students were then split into four bus groups, who they rode together with in the one-hour drive to Navy Pier. Although not the main aspect of the trip, some students still managed to have fun on the bus.
“The bus ride was pretty good, I was listening to music and interacting with my friends and classmates [in] the back,” Nunez said.
Upon arrival, students were guided toward Navy Pier’s indoor food court, which consisted of lunch options such as Chicago-style pizza, McDonald’s, Starbucks, and a boba shop.
“The food was pretty good; we got pizza before the line got long so we beat everyone to it, and for the price I’d say it was worth it,” Simmons said.
Students took this time to talk with their peers, fill themselves up, and prepare to see the play.
“[I like being in Chicago] because I get to miss the entire day without worrying about schoolwork. It’s also nice to have friends in Chicago with me and hanging out and having a good time,” Nunez said.
After lunch, chaperones and high schoolers regrouped and were directed by employees of the Chicago Shakespeare Theater toward the play.
Before heading into the auditorium, students were taught certain tips about theater etiquette and were asked to remain silent, throw away any food, and spit out gum. It was explained that the theater “breaks the fourth wall”, meaning seating surrounds the entire stage and creates an atmosphere where actors do not need mics. For this reason, any additional sound can be picked up, possibly distracting those on stage.
“I’m looking forward to this play, I don’t know how things are going to go. They gave us warning announcements and [talked about] what might occur,” Nunez said.
There were many interactive elements between the actors and the audience. Before the show, performers walked around and popped up in the auditorium seating to chat with students and chaperones. During the show, actors pretended that the crowd was also part of the production and conversed with them, while two students had the opportunity to go up on stage and act as Oberan and Titania, and an exclusive Q&A was offered after the production.
The 75-minute long play, which the directors chose to shorten from the three-hour version, took on a 2025 music festival theme represented through the costumes and set. Actress Brennan Stacker, who played Puck, explained in the Q&A that Shakespearean actors wore clothing of their time in the original plays, which inspired their wardrobe choices. They also wanted the production to spark interest in the young viewers and serve as a relatable form of entertainment – despite the Shakespearean language – which also played into the theme.
“[The fact] that it was modern time was definitely a shock because I was expecting medieval times. But it’s going to cement in my mind, I’m going to remember that for a really long time,” senior Pamela Cruz said.
Some references and lines from the romantic comedy especially gained verbal reaction from the crowd, such as actor Jaylon Muchison’s attempt at Cynthia Erivo’s viral “Wicked” riff while playing Flute, which received much laughter from the audience.
“It was amazing. I love seeing actors on stage, I love drama in general. Seeing this was a great opportunity to broaden my horizon,” Cruz said.
