Sam Lawson-Johnston
Professor Nelson
Final Director Paper
TR 1:40

After our group was set, I was convinced on doing a scene with mostly females since both of our actors are girls. As a result, we chose the Act 3 scene in Shakespeare’s A Mid Summer’s Nights Dream, in which Helena and Hermia get into a major dispute over the madness of their lovers Demetrius and Lysander. This scene sits at the heart of the play where love is completely out of balance. Helena loves Demetrius and Hermia is not going to keep her mouth shut about it. Such conflict and sudden hate toward each other makes this scene in particular vital to the drama of the play. Our group took the scene and obviously stuck with the emotions and structure of the relationships and characters however, we wanted to modernize the scene. In efforts to do we replaced the ancient forest-like atmosphere with a party in today’s time. My decision to do so is an example of conceptual directing. I felt as if this would illuminate the themes in a more relatable fashion. Directors are in charge of the artistic direction of the play. They work in close contact with actors and all involved in production. Georg II – Duke of Saxe Meiningen was the first “modern” director of theater. His desire to create a more realistic portrayal of the piece is what influenced me to use his ideals. Opposed Brecht’s alienation technique, I wanted the audience to be intellectually and emotionally attached to the play. Because the scene is set in a 21st century “college party” woven with themes of love, heartbreak, and anger, I feel as if the audience might be able to relate some of their own life to the script. For example, when Helena throws beer all over Hermia for stealing her lover, some may have experienced a similar action or witnessed it at the least. Although we may not have had extended rehearsal periods and for which I most definitely did not pay for, I did try to produce as much of an ensemble as possible. Another piece that I decided to add was the breaking of the fourth wall. This occurs when Hermia enters the party and acknowledged the people that are there. As asks the audience questions, it sets the tone for the party and engages them in a very