Some may believe Shakespeare’s work is dated or out of touch, but students from the Texas Theater and Dance program seek to prove them wrong through their inspired performance of  “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” 

Friday marked the opening night of the Texas Theatre and Dance department’s production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The play runs  through Nov. 1 at the Lab Theatre. Lucien Douglas, director and assistant professor of acting, said he chose “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” for the play’s ability to capture the human condition and resonate with audiences. 

“The exciting thing about picking up an old play, 100 or more years old, and doing it today (is) saying, ‘Wow, I can relate to this,’” Douglas said. “That’s our responsibility doing these Shakespearean plays — to make them relatable to today’s audience.”

With only six weeks to prepare and a $500 budget, Douglas said he and the crew had to get creative. His sixth time working with “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Douglas said preserving the original nature of the play proves important.

“People talk about reinventing Shakespeare … and I’m not interested in that, because I think those tend to be people who haven’t looked at the text and tried to go beneath the surface,” Douglas said. “You go beneath the surface and you see the humanity in these characters, you see what’s driving them.”

Acting junior Brandt Agosto-Medina plays Nick Bottom. He said he is most excited for the audience to see how fun Shakespeare can be. 

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream, or Shakespeare in general, it’s more relatable than a lot of stuff we make today,” Agosto-Medina said. “Shakespeare had this way of really capturing the human condition.”

 Despite the classic nature of the text, actors find modern ways to prepare. Acting junior Alexandra Greyson said she prepared for the upcoming performances by making a playlist inspired by her character Helena. She said she feels excited to perform “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” because of its comedic nature.

“(The play) is very fast paced and funny,” Greyson said. “The audience is gonna really connect to it.”

During the performance Friday, laughter rang out among audience members. 

“Come see the show. It was so funny, I was crying laughing,” said Ella Key, an arts and entertainment junior who attended the show.

Arts and entertainment junior Helena Bjeletich also watched the show. Bjeletich said some people can be scared of Shakespeare because of his reputation, but in reality his work is much more accessible and funny than they might expect.

 “More people should be unafraid to come support theater and see what it’s all about,” Bjeletich said.