How can you get four actors appear to be on the same stage when they are all in their own homes filming with a laptop or smartphone?

How can you then use different camera angles to make a long scene more interesting to watch when each actor only has one camera?

And how can you pass props from one actor to another when they’re in completely different parts of the city?

Oh, and what about have a flying fairy? One that fits within the king’s hand, but also can buzz about his head as he explains his recent magical mistakes…

Yes, we managed to pull off every single one of these tricks, thanks to some exceptional creative thinking, trial and error with the software, and a lot of dedication and patience from our actors. All this to ensure that a magical experience of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ was brought live and interactive to online audiences of students.

Not only did we pull off all of the effects listed above, but reports came back to us of how much the students laughed when they saw Bottom’s head turn into that of a donkey. We saw the surprised faces of those students summoned onto the screen by Puck to help him put potion into the eye’s of the sleeping lovers. And another selection of volunteers found themselves magicked into the forest to perform a dance as Queen Titania rapped herself to sleep!

Teachers were amazed at what we were able to pull off and especially commented on how they couldn’t believe that the four actors were all broadcasting from separate locations.

KLSP also performed similar online wonders with ‘Romeo & Juliet’ and ‘King Lear’, but it was with ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ that I was able to assist in the enchantment, bringing this Shakespearean favourite to schools online.

www.klshakespeareplayers.com