The complete works of Shakespeare include 38 plays and over 150 short and long poems. Many of these writings are considered to be some of the best ever written in English. His works have been translated into every major living language and even 400 years after his death they continue to be performed in theaters around the globe.
From the tragedies of Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet to the comedies of Much Ado About Nothing and the Merry Wives of Windsor, Shakespeare had the ability to capture the attention and hearts of his readers and audiences with his well-developed characters and his ultimate command of the English language.
A Little About Midsummer Night’s Dream
One of our favorite plays over the years continues to be Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. This comedy follows four young Athenians who find themselves in a romantic tangle.
The play centers around the events happening at the marriage of Theseus, the Duke of Athens, to Hippolyta, the former queen of the Amazons. Our four young lovers, Hermia and Lysander, who are attempting to elope, and Demetrius and Helena. Their stories are paralleled by the story of Titania and Oberon, monarchs of the forest, who are embroiled in their own fight.
When fairy, Robin “Puck” Goodfellow, gets involved and uses a love potion to manipulate the four, the hilarity ensues. We won’t reveal any spoilers, but some very interesting love matches occur due to Puck’s interference!
The play is one of Shakespeare’s most popular works on the stage and is widely performed across the world.
Setting & Backdrop Options
A Midsummer Night’s Dream takes place partly in the city of Athens, and partly in the forest that lies beyond the city’s walls. Therefore it makes sense to have two set changes which include scenes of Athens and Greek architecture as well as forests where the fairies play and live.
The City of Athens
The epitome of law and order, the City of Athens is where the play begins and we find our four Athenians.
The Acropolis Backdrop # 2376 is the perfect place to start to set the scene and timeframe of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This backdrop shows the Greek landmark with rubble and blue sky.
For a closer look at the Parthenon and its ruins, this Athens Backdrop # 3167 would be appropriate.
The Forest of Fairies
The forest is ruled by wildly funny fairy mischief and in stark contrast to the lawfulness of the streets of Athens.
For a Deep Woods Backdrop #2487, this dense forest with rich green colors can set the stage for the land of fairies and sprites.
Another option for the woods where the fairies play and Puck starts his antics would be the Forest Backdrop #2510 This backdrop offers the appearance of deep woods with lush green vegetation and foliage.