Last week, YCIS brought the magic of Shakespeare alive at the Gubei Campus with a three-night performance of the classic comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The production was performed by a talented group of Secondary students, and was a huge success as the cast’s abilities and enthusiasm delighted audiences of their families, classmates, faculty, and friends. In addition to the small troupe of actors, many more Secondary students were involved in making the production a success, from assisting with technical aspects to helping to create the beautiful set designs.

The cast had been diligently preparing and rehearsing since the beginning of the school year to produce the well-known comedy. Although YCIS’s production remained true to the original story and script, the performance was given a modern setting to demonstrate that universal themes, such as love, magic, and romance, can still be made relevant through the timeless dialogue. Mr Simon Norton, a Drama Teacher at YCIS and the play’s director, says, “My goal when directing this play was to provide a platform from where the actors could develop a passion for classical acting, and hopefully offer the audiences a glimpse of the possibilities that Shakespearean plays can offer. Through this process I thoroughly enjoyed watching the multi-talented cast come to grips with the meanings and rhythms of the Shakespearean language.”

This year, A Midsummer Night’s Dream was the main all-year-level drama production offered as an annual Co-curricular activity at the Gubei Campus. In the spring, Secondary students will also have the chance to participate in several other smaller drama productions. To learn more about all of the opportunities YCIS students receive through the performing arts, click here.