The moon and moonlight play such an important role in A Midsummer Nights Dream, that I can’t help but wonder how the mystery of moonlit hide-and-seek in the woods would be conveyed in the day lit theater? The magic of the fairies and the confusion of the mortals seems to take place almost completely at night, and I don’t think it is incidental to the comedy.
I suppose the answer is that theater requires the audience to be as much an active part of the experience as the actors. In that they must employ their imagination and believe they see what is suggested on stage.
Nonetheless, as I was reading I couldn’t help but wonder what they would have done to facilitate the illusion of a misty moonlit English forest…
To be a picky English teacher, I will note that the Globe Theater wasn’t built until 1599, but the point is an excellent one: how do the Mechanicals deal with it? To be discussed next week!
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/midsummer/mdshistory.html
According to Shakespeare Online when the play was originally performed is a matter of some dissension. It does however mention the Shakespeare’s search for a patron. If it was first performed in some patron’s estate it could have been held at night to a more intimate crowd. This setting would be quite conducive to an environment of nightly illusion. For normal theater conditions a tarp or something could have been put up to block some of the light and create a more twilight effect. Although I suspect the common folk would appreciate the comedy of the play more than illusionary mystique. The exact details however are a mystery and subject to over analysis of rumors and speculation. Also of note is the supposed reaction of the Puritans to the play in the above article.