For a production of any sort to keep an audience it needs to keep them interested.  It must have multiple key aspects that are able to grasps one's attention.  The play we saw at Center Stage was no exception.  It was very interesting and captivating for a number of reasons.  They used music and expression in very effective ways in act II of A Midsummer Night's Dream to make the play as enjoyable as it was. 

         Throughout the entire play there was a professional percussionist setting the mood for every scene.  This was especially present in Act II.  For a large portion of the Act there were dainty fairies bouncing around the stage and the happy and light sounding music really helped to complete the scene.  Percussion was also used to highlight important parts of speeches and strengthen their importance.  It was also often used for sound effects which is another very important part of every production.  It helps emphasize actions that have gone by unnoticed.   This aspect of mood is essential in a play designed to keep the attention of the audience and that is exactly what the music did. 

         The cast of A Midsummer Night's Dream also did an excellent job using expressionism in their actions and voices.  It was always very clear whether they were trying to be funny or serious.  For example, The Lion and Thisbe were able to clearly portray their lines in a comedic manner by using different tones of voice and acting timid or stupid as the case may be.  This combined with the many movements across the stage and personalized costumes made each and every character interesting.  Even the Fairies soft and dainty expression was very clear and helped to give them the heaven like appearance they had.  Small details such as these are extremely important for the success of a play. 

         This play was a brilliant success because of these many fine points that the producers payed attention to.  Because of the attention to detail they successfully helped A Midsummer Night's Dream live up to its title of masterpiece. 

After seeing the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, performed by the actors of Center Stage, it is easy to see how there are many different ways to perform a single play. Throughout the act that we are studying, Act II, there were many things that we would have handled in a different fashion than these performers did. Three of the most glaring differences are in the actors’ clothing, the 
setup of the stage, as well as our rigidness to the manuscript. 

        The actors at Center Stage clothing was greatly different than what we would have had the characters wearing. A good example of a difference in our views on their clothing is the character Oberon. Oberon in the Center Stage interpretation was wearing a black jacket with coattails made out of a leathery material. Our plan for his costume was more conventional. We believed 
that he should be wearing a brightly colored vest with a whitish undershirt.  We also had envisioned him with wings and a crown, because he is the king of the fairies. Another example of the differences in our interpretations of the play is the dress of  Titania. In the Center Stage version she was wearing a 
revealing dress made of brightly colored cloth with a butterfly wing on one arm. In our view of her costume we believed that she should be wearing a regal flowing dress, a crown, and two wings stemming  from her back. The subject of clothing however as not the only difference in interpretations that we had. 
 
        Another large difference between our interpretation of the play and the Center Stage interpretation is in the setup of the stage. Our idea for the background of the stage would have been fairly simple, a painting of woods. The Center Stage version had a big picture of a flower, a large difference. In 
the foreground we had envisioned several trees, not unlike what was presented at Center Stage. The only difference in how we would have had the fore ground and how it was presented at Center Stage was that they had several levels, including trapdoors, a floating bower and a walkway. In our version we had not thought of any of  these ideas. 
 
        The last difference of any consequence between our two interpretations is in our strictness to the manuscript. An example of this is in the number of fairies that were in the second act. According to the manuscript there is only one fairy that talks with Puck at the beginning of the act. In the Center 
Stage interpretation there are only three fairies other than Oberon and Titania, and all of these fairies speak with Puck as one at the beginning.  This differs from our view of the scene because we envisioned it exactly as it was written, one fairy at the beginning and a whole train of them with each of 
the two fairy lords. 

        All of these differences stemmed from the fact that after reading the play everyone has different ideas of how it should best be presented. These differences in interpretations stem from different things in each instance. In clothing the difference probably stemmed from different views on style. In the 
setup of the stage there could be any interpretation because Shakespeare doesn’t specify any details other than a brief description of where the act takes place. These examples show how there are many interpretations of a play.