With a new director and a date change, the fall play Shakespeare’s  A Midsummer Night’s Dream is bringing a lot of excitement to Westborough High School. Ms. Smith is the new theater director who has  an experienced background including directing plays at Norwood High School and directing regional musicals and straight plays in New York. The opening show will be performed on Friday, November 16 at 7pm.

Ms. Smith shares that her experience at WHS,  “has been so much fun so far. I’m very excited to be working with the students and to share with the rest of Westborough what we have been working on.”

Although the date of the play was pushed out due to the delayed school start date, cast members are using the extra time to their advantage.

Junior and co-publicity chair of Center Stage, Carolyn McDermott explains, “We have gained two more weeks which is great as it will help us to adjust to having a new teacher and director and to accommodate to school being pushed back.”

McDermott who is casted as Scout in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, shares that she and the cast had worries with a change in directors.

“We were initially a little nervous because we loved Ms. Slotnick, but we are now so thrilled to work Ms. Smith as she is very qualified, has a lot of experience, and she is so wonderful.”

Junior and cast member, Julie Carrier adds to McDermott’s comment.  “I really like Ms. Smith as she is nice funny and enthusiastic. She is different than our past director, but she has been really great.”

Ms. Smith has high hopes and goals for the A Midsummer Night’s Dream cast members. She hopes to “know the students who participate in center stage and also to help the students become more comfortable with Shakespeare, and acting Shakespeare because it can feel very intimidating and part of my goal is for the students who are both in it and for anyone who comes in the audience to be able to understand the text and to go on an emotional journey with the characters.”

The play portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, but includes many adventures of four young Athenian lovers who are controlled by fairies and magic. Ms. Smith was inspired by the mansions in Newport Rhode Island. She is having the WHS play set around the 1900s where the first and last act feels very “structured and mannered,”  but when entering the forest have it feel “magical and free.”

She explains the purpose of this setting as  “The idea I’m working in is that in society all the characters were repressed in some way and not able to be themselves and be free but once we get into the forest they are more in touch with themselves.”

Cast members are working hard to prepare for the show. Make sure to come by to watch A Midsummer Night’s Dream on November 16 and 17 at 7pm or the 18th at 2pm.