Director Promises A Fun Shakespearean Production

Julie Generes has directed many shows at Slidell Little Theatre, her favorites include Evita, The Producers, and The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged).

She returns this season to direct William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, opening January 16, 2015. Ahead of the opening, she took time to tell us a little about her vision for the production.

Tell us about your vision and inspirations for “Midsummer.’

GENERES: Wow. Well, I wanted to make this show fun for an audience. It's already funny- Master Shakespeare took care of that, but he was writing at the time a parody of the political figures of his time. He even pokes fun at his queen, prompting Puck's apology at the end of the play which was designed for the bard to keep his head attached to his body and not have it taken off by an angry monarch. The stories of the people he parodies are long gone. It requires a history lesson and a lot of research to know all about it, and who has time for that before they watch a play? So I decided that I wanted it to be just simply fun. And I like it to be kept real. Shakespeare wrote some bawdy stuff. I don't think he would appreciate stuffiness. And I have seen some stuffy Shakespeare. 

What are the challenges to staging this production?

 GENERES: The amount of people to coordinate. Also difficult is making sure the actors understand everything they are saying. Every word. That is a lot to do in six weeks. Of course all my actors understand English, but some of the references are difficult or obscure. I researched the show for months.

What can the audience can expect to see?

 GENERES: A lot of crazy awesome fairies, lovely acting, a great set, and a lot of surprises I'm not revealing. Come see a fun show!

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is onstage weekends January 16 – February 1, 2015. Curtain at 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and at 2 p.m. on Sundays.

Place reservations online at www.SlidellLittleTheatre.org, or by calling (985) 641-0324. Slidell Little Theatre is located at 2024 Nellie Drive in Slidell, next to the Fremaux Town Center.