A History of the RSC in 50 Objects (Online)

Poster

A Midsummer Night's Dream, 1970

Director: Peter Brook

This object will be on display at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre (fountain staircase) from 4th April to 31st December 2011

This production is regarded today as one of the most groundbreaking interpretations of Shakespeare's work on stage. With designer Sally Jacobs, Brook stripped back the stage to a white box. Titania's bower was represented by a huge red feather and coils of wire represented the forest. The actors performed the magic in the play as if they were circus performers, swinging on trapezes and spinning discs on clear acrylic wands.

Brook was the first 20th Century director to use the same actors to play Titania and Hippolyta (Sara Kestelman) and Oberon and Theseus (Alan Howard). This suggested that the fairy characters were the alter-egos or unconscious minds of the human characters. It also shows how the fairy court is a mirror image of the human one.