Film-maker Christine Edzard has given A Midsummer Night's Dream a whole new meaning by recruiting a complete cast of 8 - 12 year-old school children with no previous acting experience.
| It was amusing to hear Shakespeare spoken by young people with London accents. |
Showing at the Queen's Film Theatre from Friday August 3 for a week, the production breathes fresh life into Shakespeare's comic tale of romance, unrequited love and fairy magic.
Director Edzard said producing a film using an entire child-cast "was quite tiring because you had to be on your toes but it was very interesting because they has lots of ideas all the time."
"I found that the children would give a reading of the play which would be quite new to them and they would not have all the hang-ups that grown ups have of a play that has been done over and over again," she said.
Edzard chose eight to 12-year-old novice actors "because it is just before you start thinking like a grown-up."
The actors, despite lack of experience and youth, were convincing.
"The actors so looked the part. I also found it amusing to hear Shakespeare spoken by young people with London accents," said one fan, Orlaith Graham Wood..
Mark Luney, 13 said "the special effects were good."
"My favourite scene was when Bottom disappears into the woods and returns with an donkey's head."
Others found the film a little long and admittedly lost interest at times. "I found the language very difficult to understand. If I had not read the play before hand I would have been completely lost but the actors, who were as young as my little brother, looked so professional," said 12-year old Sarah Templeton.
Perri Wallace, also 12, said he had a love-hate relationship with the movie - sometimes it was great and sometimes it was dull.
"The costumes were magical and the scenery was amazing because there was so much attention paid to detail."
Dan Bishop, 13, who plays love-struck Lysander said lines were difficult to learn because Shakespearean language is complex but "it was a great experience."
However, acting in A MIdsummer Night's Dream had its drawbacks.
"My friends took the Mickey out of me because I had to wear tights," says Dan. Still, he would be interested in working in film when he gets older.
About the team
This article was produced by Orlaith Graham Wood, 12, Mark Luney, 13, Perri Wallace, 12, and Jonny McKim, 14. It was published in the Irish News.
