The students of the department of English at Notre Dame University Bangladesh (NDUB) staged William Shakespeare’s iconic comedy "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" on Tuesday at 6:00pm.
The colloquial adaptation was directed by former students of the department of Theatre and Performance Studies of Dhaka University, Md Abdur Razzak and Shongkar Kumar Biswas.
The chief guest of the event was NDUB Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Fr Patrick Daniel Gaffney. Registrar Fr Adam S Pereira, and Professor Tahmina Ahmed, the former chair of the department of English, Dhaka University, were present as the special guests.
Regarding the staging of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Fr Subas Adam Pereira, the Chairman of English department at NDUB, said: “William Shakespeare is an inseparable name of English literature. Therefore, we teach various texts of Shakespeare as part of English Literature at our university.
"This program has been organized so that the students do not just stay limited to bookish reading of great texts, but rather they also act and participate through practical engagement. This is the first staging of Shakespeare in the history of NDUB,” Pereira added.
The adaptation was hilarious, as the language spoken by the actors was very contemporary among youth of Bangladesh today. There were many exclamations of "baby," common expressions of jealousy, which was greatly appreciated by the students and parents in attendance — who no doubt have become accustomed to the language of love-dovey youths.
The adaptation satirizes both Shakespearean "love" and relationships in Bangladesh. The chemistry between the couples Lysander-Hermia and Demetrius-Helena was well done.
However, the show was stolen—when it came to laughs—by the actors Shuvo Anthony Rozario, Romeo Angelo, and Shaon Mridha, who perfectly played the characters Puck, Bottom, and Flute. Since the latter three characters were comic relief in the original play, the portrayal by the actors playing them, in this adaptation, was over-the-top exaggerated on purpose, which made the audience roar with laughter.
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" is a timeless comedy, and the thespians of NDUB have pulled it off with perfection.
In the drama: Theseus was played by Raiyan Siddique Durjoy, Hippolyta by Nafisa Tabassum Yoko, Lysander by Arpon Clement Costa, Hermia by Athai Clara Gregory, Demetrius by Rimon Chowdhury, Helena by Bornaly Debnath, Egeus by Argha Nayan, Quince by Amartya Barua Ami, and the other supporting characters were played by the students of the Department of English at NDUB.
The fairies Oberon and Titania were played by Shafayet Shahid and Noshin Sharmily Tonni, respectively.
The set was designed by Shongkar, Razzak, and Shamim Miah. The elaborate lighting was designed by Shongkar, and music was by Razzak. Syeda Taslima Nodi designed the lavish costume and make-up.
