A Midsummer Night’s Dream may be one of Shakespeare’s most performed plays—but its latest version from the Royal Shakespeare Company will be unlike any seen before. Titled Dream, the 50-minute online production will let audiences remotely guide the leading character Puck through a virtual forest.
In 2016, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of The Tempest used high-tech to create a 3D digital image that was projected above the stage. The difference this time is that everything in the play—the performers and their surroundings—will be shown virtually.
Seven actors will perform in a specially-built studio. They will be surrounded by a 360-degree camera set, made up of 47 cameras with every movement almost immediately presented digitally, which is presented to viewers online. With its much-reduced characters, Dream is not a complete production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, rather, it is a story inspired by it, focusing on Puck and the fairies (精灵).
Up to 2,000 audience members for each performance can become part of the show and will be invited to guide Puck through the forest. On screen, the chosen audience will appear as a cloud of tiny fireflies (萤火虫). By using their mouse or finger on the screen of a smart device, they will be able to move their firefly across the screen, and Puck will be at their beck and call to go through the virtual space. For viewers watching at home, the virtual fairies moving through a digital forest will look more like a video game than the average Royal Shakespeare Company show.
“Without the fireflies—the audiences—Puck wouldn’t be going anywhere,” said E.M. Williams who plays the role. “The audiences are very much the fuel and the energy of the show.”
8. What makes Dream different from
The Tempest?
A.The number of actors and actresses. | B.The surroundings around the performers |
C.The 3D digital image it chooses to show. | D.The way it presents everything in the play. |
9. What does Paragraph 3 mainly talk about?
A.Leading characters of the play. | B.Audiences’ opinions on the play. |
C.The play’s production process. | D.The inspiration for the play. |
10. What does the underlined part “be at their beck and call” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A.Be ready to follow their order. | B.Be happy to receive a call. |
C.Be difficult to control. | D.Be willing to guide them. |
11. What do E. M. Williams’ words in the last paragraph show?
A.The cost of the show. | B.The pleasure of the audiences. |
C.The task of the leading character. | D.The importance of the audiences. |