b"A Note from DramaturgAndrea AveyAMidsum mer Ni i gh t 's Dre amisoneofShakespearesearlierplaysAMidsum mer N gh t sDre amlikelywrittenbetween1594-1596thesameperiodinwhichhe R wrot oome eand Juli and Juliet, an alternate tellingmRomeoet, Drea of Dream in many ways. Young loversseek to marry but are forbidden by their parents and devise a plan to runer. In m,away togeth DreaDream, the young Athenians escape tragedy, but the doomof Veronas star-crossed lovers is always hovering in the wings. The tensionbetween societal pressure and youthful desire is evident in both plays, andwhileDre amisacomedyculminatinginseveralmarriages,dreamlikeDre ammemories of the forests madness stay with the Athenians even after theyreturn to the city. Therelationshipbetweenorderanddisorderisillustratedinthedistinctsettings of Dream, as well as in the presence and power of celestial bodiesDream,like the sun, moon, and planets. Elizabethan society held strong convictionsaboutnaturesimpactonthelivesandbodiesofindividuals,andcosmicforces were believed to wield significant influence over human experience.According to a philosophical concept called the music, or harmony, of thespheres, the particular ratios and movements of planetary bodies could befelt in the human soul. When these elements were misaligned or strayedfrom their intended trajectory, havoc ensued. We see such disharmony in theDukes wood through the climactic disaster wrought by Oberon and Titaniasfeuding,Bottomsmonstroustransformation,andtheyoungcouplesmagic-induced confusion. In our production, contrasts between the orderly Athenian society and thetopsy-turvywoodofthefairiesareillustratedthroughstagedesign.Thebackdrop of the stage remains closed when the characters are in Athens, butitopens,literallyandfiguratively,whenthecharactersentertheforest.Lighting elements appear around the stage in intricate configurations thatmirror Renaissance understandings of the mapping of astronomical bodies,andthemanyreferencestospheresandorbsinDream'sdialogueareDream sreinforced by our productions circular design components. These featureswork together not only to underscore the inextricability of nature and Fate forShakespearesaudience,butalsotoevokevisualsignsoftheharmony, whole"