Community Members share their experience of working on A Midsummer Night’s Dream
29 Jun 2022 | General News
Also taking part is a head chef, a professor of cardiology, a data analyst, and a museum actor, just to name a few. Some members are looking to start a career in acting; some have previously worked as actors and have taken this opportunity to revisit their love of performing. For some cast members, this has been a chance to connect with other people again after two years of being in lockdown, enjoying a creative shared Many took part in the workshops and will now be performing in Hull Truck Theatre’s community
experience or to make friends after recently moving to Hull. There are many reasons why someone
might want to take part and why being involved in the arts is good for confidence and wellbeing.
Alexandra Abel, NHS Doctor, said:
“Working as a junior doctor during the pandemic has been difficult. I needed to do something new and
exciting to help me reconnect with life outside of the NHS! My favorite thing to do outside of work is
to visit the theatre and I have often wondered what it would be like to perform on the stage. Taking
part in A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been very therapeutic, I have met some wonderful people and
it has been a joy throughout.”
Toni Day, Administrator, said:
“I’m currently on maternity leave and performing has always been something that I have wanted to
do, but I felt that I lacked in confidence. I want to show my children that they can achieve in their
interests and passions, best way for me to do this was to show them.”
Joseph Dixon, Volunteer, said:
"I volunteer for many things, have been in a community show before and loved it. As an adult
with autism, opportunities like this don’t come along very often.”
Hull Truck Theatre held a series of free taster workshops where members of the local community
aged 18+ were able to gain a sense of what it might be like to take part in a main stage production.
Everyone was welcome, no experience necessary, just the willingness to commit to the opportunity
to develop new skills and have fun exploring acting and movement, whilst creating a range of
characters from Bottom the Weaver and his comedy crew to Oberon and Titania, King, and Queen of
the Fairies, all while connecting with other people within their community.
production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. With a cast of over 40 people who all
come from a variety of backgrounds with different levels of performing experience, this is a huge
creative process for all involved. Some participants are members of HTT’s Youth Theatre alumni and
Act III (over 55’s theatre makers), presenting not only a range of acting experience levels but a
wonderful mix of ages (21 – 91) and life experiences too.
Tom Saunders, Director, said:
“I’ve loved working on this production. Some of our company members are performing for the first
time and others have been performing their whole lives, but either way it’s been a complete honour to
be able to experience this with them. This city is full of extremely talented and passionate people and handing over the Hull Truck Theatre Main House Stage to them has been an incredibly exciting and rewarding experience for me. I think that Shakespeare’s rich and beautiful language paired with Hull’s vibrant and creative communities will be an absolute treat for our audiences.”
