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LA MUSE | A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM | Fran Kranz & Casey Wilder Mott interview

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Russell T Davies OBE is probably best known for reviving Doctor Who in 2005. He was lead writer and exec producer on the show for five years during which time he also created and oversaw its two sister shows, The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood. His other writing credits include Wizards vs Aliens, Queer as Folk, Bob & Rose, The Second Coming, Casanova and the Channel 4 dramas, Cucumber and Banana. He's won BAFTAs, Hugos and was awarded an OBE in 2008. More recently he's turned his attention to the Bard, adapting A Midsummer Night's Dream for the BBC. It's fair to say it's one of the most eagerly awaited Shakespearian productions in years and we caught up with Russell to find out more...
Question: How did the adaptation come about?
Russell T Davies: I've wanted to make this for around 30 - 40 years, I've been dying to do it! I was in a version of A Midsummer Night's Dream when I was 11 years old, playing Bottom. I loved it and it really opened my eyes to what drama is. We had such a laugh and I've loved the play ever since then, it's the perfect play. For years I've thought, one day I will do it on television, I will do it with an all-star cast, and I will do it for everyone.
If you go down to the woods, tonight... Q: Why A Midsummer Night's Dream in particular?
RTD: So many people have a personal experience of it, like I do, a memory from their childhood of it, and that's what we're tapping in to. It's also such a fun play, although some of it is very wise it's also got fairies and magic and a character called Bottom in it, that's why children love it! And it has such vivid characters in it too.

It's also one of the few Shakespeare plays with actual overt visible magic in it, which makes it tremendously visual and is why there are so many versions of it. It's a magnet for not just writers and actors but designers as well.
Bringing the 'Max factor' to Shakespeare... Q: Can you tell us about the process of adapting it?
RTD: I have been thinking about how to adapt this play and what to do with it for decades, especially the interpretation of Theseus. I've had a long time to get the text ready in that way, so when it actually came to writing the script it only took a few weeks because I was so certain of what I wanted to do already.

I'm happy to reinvent this material, because that's been the process for hundreds of years. That's what fiction does, change. Shakespeare famously sourced his stuff from all sorts of myths and legends and masques.

For example, in A Midsummer Night's Dream, we get the story of Pyramus and Thisbe. That's an ancient yarn, originally told by Ovid. A tragedy of two dead lovers. And what did Shakespeare do with that sacred text? He turned it into a farce! And the story's had an extra 400 years of life as a result. It's the same with Hippolyta - Shakespeare made her simply Queen of the Amazons. But in my version, from the very first scene, there's clearly something supernatural about her - and that's not a new invention, that's going way back, to the myths before Shakespeare, when Hippolyta was the daughter of Ares, God of War. You see? These things are always changing. If you don't change, you die.
Bernard Cribbins (seen here in RTD's Doctor Who: The End of Time) stars as Snout. Q: Have you faced any challenges adapting it?
RTD: This is a very faithful version, it's not a modern translation with MC Bottom putting on a rap, it's the real play with the real words and the original text. So that was the challenge, to get across that we're not throwing the baby out of the bath water.

It's a beautiful old strong play that has survived for 400 years, it will survive me and it will survive all of us. This is our take on it in 2016 and there are dozens of other versions and takes on it going on right now across the country.
Nonso Anozie as Oberon.
Q: What do you want viewers to take away from your version?
RTD: The one thing I would like people to take away from this production of A Midsummer Night's Dream is a love of Shakespeare. My own love of Shakespeare has nourished me for decades and it's vital. We've got great actors and great CGI that people will enjoy, but I hope there will be people out there who watch it and think, "Oh isn't Shakespeare marvellous", or even better they might be like me and think, "I could make my version of that." It encourages creativity that you can take any Shakespeare play and do what you want to it and it will still survive.

So that's what I want to instil. It can sometimes be hard to drag people to Shakespeare and it can be hard to read, but it can be brought to life beautifully and that's what I want to do.
Big thanks to Russell T Davies!

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A Midsummer Night's Dream: An Interview with Russell T Davies.

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Russell T Davies OBE is probably best known for reviving Doctor Who in 2005. He was lead writer and exec producer on the show for five years during which time he also created and oversaw its two sister shows, The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood.

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I intend on writing about how the 2016 movie contrasts from the original text for the better. This is through implementing societal changes, expressing the importance of feminism, and exploring a new interpretation.

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I want to write about the 1999 version. I want to include the use of the Indian boy, focus on the scenery, discuss the interpretation of the first scene with Hyppolyta, and discuss how I think that fits better with the original Midsummer Night's Dream. I want to discuss the roles of the characters and how they blend together better in this version. I also want to include how accurate this version is compared to the more modern version.

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The 1999 production is aesthetically similar to my own mental interpretation. I wanted to do a film review of the design, costume, production choices, lighting and/or tonality of lines.

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Compare the settings of the 1999 film and the 2016 film. The 1999 film had a lot of intricacy, whereas the 2016 film was very modern and futuristic. Discuss how the setting of the 1999 film affects the mood of certain scenes and stays true to the original plot. (flowers, fairies, etc.)

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Talk about the 1999 film about the setting and costumes and how the choices made help to make the play come to life 

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Talk about the 1999 film about the setting and costumes and how the choices made help to make the play come to life 

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Write about the 2016 film of the play, and focus on certain details in the movie and why they were done. For example, I would like to focus on certain camera angles, music, and costumes. To do so, I would like to find interviews with the directors of the movie to see if they discuss any of those things, and why they chose to do so in those scenes.

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Write about the 2016 film of the play, and focus on certain details in the movie and why they were done. For example, I would like to focus on certain camera angles, music, and costumes. To do so, I would like to find interviews with the directors of the movie to see if they discuss any of those things, and why they chose to do so in those scenes.

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I was hoping to do a review of the 2016 version to see how its depiction of Athens would vary from the view of Athens during the Elizabethan era and how it affects the message of the movies/play. I hope to see how the depiction of Athens changes the view of ideals and compare it to the 1999 version.

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I want to compare and contrast the opening scene of the 2016 film from the original text/ 1999 film. More specifically, I want to compare how different the time periods are, and the different emotions felt between characters (for example, the way Hippolyta feels about Thesius compared to the original text). I also want to gather information about why the directors decided to make this classic play modern.

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i'll be writing about the 1999 movie and its relation to the shakespeare script/accuracy. will talk about the scene of demetrius, helena, hermia, and lysander when the guys are hit with the serum along with the mud fight scene. will mention on camera angles, target audience, casting, emotion, setting/scenery, tone. an interview on how they thought that scene went is what i want to find

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I would like to write about the 1999 version and how it differs in good and bad ways compared to the 2016 version. I really think it would be interesting to get interviews from different actors and see what they thought about the certain production they took part of. I can also talk about the differences between the both responses from the different casts. I want to see if these actors believe that their depiction accurately represents what Shakespeare wanted to portray. I also think it would be cool to listen to some commentaries and see some online reviews about the movies compared to each other and compared to the original. I want to see how the cast of the 2016 movie thought of the 1999 one or if they watched it. Did they take any ideas from it? Did they want to do anything different in specific?

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I want to write about the 1999 version and one of the things I plan on focusing on is how the setting in this movie enhances the play. I also want to talk about the "fight scene" between Helena and  Hermia 

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I want to write about the 1999 version and one of the things I plan on focusing on is how the setting in this movie enhances the play. I also want to talk about the "fight scene" between Helena and  Hermia 

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Comparing scenes from the 2016 and 1999. How each director implemented different parts or left others out. Differences between lighting and settings, changes in roles

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I want to write about the 1999 movie and focus on the casting and the setting/backdrops. The scene I want to focus on is the fight scene between Hermia and Lysander/Hermia and Helena 

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I want to write about the 1999 movie and focus on the casting and the setting/backdrops. The scene I want to focus on is the fight scene between Hermia and Lysander/Hermia and Helena 

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I'm planning on writing about the 2016 film and a specific scene of the cliff hanging by Demetrius and the entire conflict occurring by lovers. I plan to discuss the lighting, the costumes, how the scene was portrayed (the tone), the camera angles incorporated. Interviews from the film would help a lot for my sources. 

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I'm planning on writing about the 2016 film and a specific scene of the cliff hanging by Demetrius and the entire conflict occurring by lovers. I plan to discuss the lighting, the costumes, how the scene was portrayed (the tone), the camera angles incorporated. Interviews from the film would help a lot for my sources. 

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Bottom is more of a main character in the 1999 version. I am going to dig into that and then go in depth in one of his scenes (camera angle, lines used, emotions)

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I would like to have an interview with the actors talking about how they feel about the directors rearrangement of the play and also how they feel about the directors interpretation (2017)

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I would like to have an interview with the actors talking about how they feel about the directors rearrangement of the play and also how they feel about the directors interpretation (2017)

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Compare and contrast one scene from 2016 and 1991- Writing to entertain, persuade, compare, and inform- •	Discuss overall vibe of play- Happier - Effects- Costumes - Sound- How the camera is shot-Weather- Words got lost in the music or through less than perfect diction. •	Discuss how actors are more diverse - Use older version of movie to compare

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Compare and contrast one scene from 2016 and 1991- Writing to entertain, persuade, compare, and inform- •	Discuss overall vibe of play- Happier - Effects- Costumes - Sound- How the camera is shot-Weather- Words got lost in the music or through less than perfect diction. •	Discuss how actors are more diverse - Use older version of movie to compare