Dream State: A Fusion of Synths and Shakespeare Fosters Human Connection at River’s Edge Theatre
The production combined the old and the new, challenging audiences while enveloping them in a dreamlike atmosphere
by Lilly Sayenga
Hastings-on-Hudson — On Saturday, July 6th, a group of nymphs led a synthesizer-backed interpretation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at River’s Edge Theatre Co.
Dream State: A Fusion of Synth and Shakespeare is part of River’s Edge Theatre’s After Hours Series. The performance blended theatrical, musical, and visual performance elements, bringing community members together in an intimate space for a night of meditation, self-reflection, and release.
Dream State was created by River’s Edge Theatre’s Artistic Director Meghan Covington, and was brought to the stage with the help of synth musician Jon Hatch and actors Sweta Keswani, Traci Redmond, and Julia Schonberg. The immersive experience included a shifting landscape of soothing sounds, lighting, and visual projections and contained interludes of sampled Shakespearean verse.
Performer Sweta Keswani explained that the production was an effort to create more experimental art that challenges social boundaries between people. Challenge it did: in several moments of audience participation, concertgoers were summoned by the nymphs to join the limelight and engage in freeform dance.
One exercise, mirroring the movements of a fellow audience member, was uncomfortable yet fascinating to engage in. Being forced to focus on physicality amidst a hypnotic musical backdrop made the evening uniquely dreamlike. We were, after all, mostly strangers, fleetingly united by place and time. Dream State thus delivered in its promise of a “dream state,” beckoning its audience to connect to the more magical parts of themselves. Whether that meant letting go of inhibitions or being grounded in the tangibility of the human form, the performance encouraged new approaches to self-perception and expression.
The idea of freedom and returning to the simplicity of nature abounded, as watery synths echoed over projections of the changing seasons. Random ephemera — from false teeth to condoms — were also passed out by the giggling fairies, perhaps as if to illustrate the absurdity of the human condition.
Audience members were additionally asked to write down the answer to the question “What is holding you back?” on a sheet of paper. At the show's end, these papers became a part of the performance, as everyone threw, tore, and joyously rid themselves of the pieces.
Basking in layered, echoing drum samples, ambient lighting, and soft shadows felt at once transcendent and reminiscent of a child’s game of dress-up. Keswani explained that part of embracing nontraditional theater is challenging one’s own discomfort in its unfamiliarity. Transcending these feelings of awkwardness to embrace the present moment was ultimately provocative. Dream State’s simplicity and earnestness and its concept of connecting with others created a space to listen and watch — but most importantly, to breathe.
The local theater’s endeavors to provide community bonding through artistic exploration shined through in Dream State, where local creatives gathered for a night of looking inward while bonding outward. Soon, River’s Edge Theatre Co. will hold its next production, a sustainable version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream called Homegrown Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream on July 20th and 21st at Bethany Arts Community. Just as Dream State explored new interpretations of the playwright’s work, the upcoming show challenges actors to create their own costumes using only found materials, with rehearsals occurring only the weekend before the performances. Tickets are available here.
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