The Old Vic has launched a new digital initiative that allows users to direct their own version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream online.
As part of the Shakespeare Lives programme, The Old Vic has worked with The British Council to create Mix The Play, a digital platform in which users can mix a selection of pre-recorded samples of a scene from the play to create their own bespoke version.
Joe Murphy, 2016 Baylis Director at The Old Vic, has filmed 36 different versions of Act Three Scene Two of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, using a variety of sets, cast members, lighting and sound designs. Users can mix any combination of the recorded samples and then download and share the finished product.
Murphy said “A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a play full of magic, mischief and imagination, so it’s the perfect piece to launch Mix the Play […] I hope everyone has a go, more than once, and uses the website to explore how a director takes the words of Shakespeare and breathes life into the characters and this 400 year old play.”
It is hoped that the programme will encourage young people to engage with Shakespeare, both at home and in the classroom.
Mix The Play is part of Shakespeare Lives, the British Council’s global programme of events and activities celebrating William Shakespeare’s work on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of his death. You can access the platform here.