Not your traditional "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

Grand Rapids Ballet will be presenting a world premiere of A Midsummer Night’s Dream this weekend and next, featuring dazzling choreography, critically acclaimed lighting, and the story of A Midsummer Night's Dream like you have never seen it before.

Here are three things to know about choreographer Olivier Wevers’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream:
 

Told from a different perspective

This 21st century version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is told through the eyes of a young Nick Bottom. In the work, Young Nick, the little boy over whom the royal fairy couple quarrels, is a changeling with no lines. The ballet takes place in Young Nick’s mind as he dreams of becoming an adult and running for president. Across the arc of the ballet, Nick Bottom’s character grows and the audience watches how his experiences of being bullied, reading books, and seeking love, stimulate his imagination and come to life in a dream.
 

The set design plays a crucial role in the story

Wevers pares down the complex narrative of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by exploring unresolved tensions between Oberon and Titania and radically stripping away the usual green-and-mossy-bower setting in favor of a totally white stage. The use of color and contrast is used to tell the characters apart: white for fairies and color for mortal lovers. The lighting will be in collaboration with Michael Mazzola, a lighting designer who has received critical acclamation since the 1980s for his lighting designs seen all over the U.S. and Europe. 

Props, costumes, and more! This ballet will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Black Tuxes, scantily clad fairies, and a CO₂ gun that sprays fog are what makes Olivier Wevers’ interpretation of Midsummer so special. At the core of this tale is love, and love in its many guises. Olivier responds to the story’s commentary on societal values and priorities that make love trivial, without shading.
 

A Midsummer Night's Dream runs May 9 through 11 and May 16 through 18 at The Peter Wege Theatre. Tickets range from $20 to $40. You can purchase at the Grand Rapids Ballet box office or by Ticketmaster. More information including pricing details, seating availability, and cast list at grballet.com.