By Caitlin Clarke '06

People crowd the streets of Edinburgh, packed into winding alleyways and dusty stone corners. It is the morning, and bleary-eyed audiences sift into theatres of varying shapes and sizes, ready to absorb the delicate and delightful world of the arts late into the night. Outdoor performances dapple the streets while people from all over the world wander through the city taking in the bright atmosphere of the festival cushioned by the majestic beauty of the city of Edinburgh.

Among these early morning and late night audience members, we are lucky enough to be able to say that twenty-three of them will be our own. However, not only will they be enjoying the many plays and recitals that occur during these days but they will also be bringing a performance of their own to add to the hum of this thriving festival. At the beginning of August, John Reese and Paul Yager, the technical director of the production, will be taking the members of the spring theater production, A Midsummer Night 's Dream, to Scotland.

At the end of every summer Edinburgh becomes the host of approximately twenty-five thousand performances and fifteen thousand performers, not to mention the thousands of eager theatergoers that flood the streets, all anxious to be involved in such a colossal event.

This is the second time Deerfield was chosen to contribute to the many pieces shown during the festival. In 2002 Deerfield brought the play A Thurber Carnival. Do not, however, overlook the honor of simply being asked to attend. Out of a pool of twelve hundred schools scattered across the United States only forty are selected to go. The judges include representatives from The Julliard School of Drama and the Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts. Needless to say, Deerfield has been recognized as having one of the strongest theatre programs in the country.

The cast of A Midsummer Night's Dream is promising. It includes veterans such as Kyle Yager '05 who is cast as Oberon, Bentley Rubinstein '05 who plays Demetrius, and Carolyn Holding '05 who plays Helena. The cast also sheds some light on new faces such as Jennie Natenshon '08 who plays Mustardseed and Robert Jacques '05 who will play Theseus. These actors, accompanied by the rest of the cast, will prepare the production to perform this spring. However, after the last curtain falls their work will be far from over. In late July the actors and crew members will return to campus to reassemble the show and iron out any bumps before it is performed in Scotland.

"It is already apparent that the group of actors is going to be a tight and cohesive group," Killian Clarke '05, who plays Snout. "We have had several meetings already and the chemistry is incredible."

Transporting an entire production from the reassuring familiarity of the Black Box to the unexpected setting of The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is quite a hassle. Costumes, props, sets, tech all have to be considered. It also has to be complete in a period of two hours.

During the ten days that the cast and crew will spend in Edinburgh they will give four performances, one of which will be an outdoor show on the famous Royal Mile. However, if performing doesn't keep the cast and crew busy, the many excursions and activities offered certainly will. Along with being able to see the other performances that run from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., they are also able to visit Holyrood Palace, Stirling Castle, and the Trossachs. In addition, the group will spend the first two days in London, during which they will stay at the Bankside House Halls of Residence and see a West End theater performance.

It is apparent that there is a lot to look forward to for the members of A Midsummer Night's Dream. They have been given not only the opportunity to perform at an internationally celebrated festival but also the chance to become the audience to some of the best performing arts in the world. Certainly the members of this production are dying to go and excited to represent Deerfield at The International Fringe Festival in Scotland.