Longwood Player's performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream

"I can remember vividly, several years ago, walking in Long Wood with my friend Chloe Purton and her husband, Den, when Den gestured towards an area of woodland and said, “Wouldn’t it be lovely to have an outdoor theatre there…  You could have a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”  I never imagined that one day I would be standing on this very spot, watching the Shakespeare play, acted entirely by local people.

The programme for the Longwood Players’ production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, described the venture as “a community project which has really brought a community together”.  The experience of watching the performance showed me what this coming together of a community actually meant.

On the day of the performance, in June 2010, I saw – either on stage, sitting in the audience or acting as stewards – teenagers I’ve known since they were toddlers; people I’ve been on courses with over the years; the folk who always seem to be at the next table to me at music venues; lecturers from the University, staff from local shops, neighbours and lots of other familiar faces.  Seeing all these people from different circles and sectors of the local community here as one group, and knowing how much commitment and hard work had gone into putting the whole project together, I felt both humbled and moved.

I really admired the cast for having memorised all those lines (I know I couldn’t have done it), attending rehearsals and making the part their own, and the play’s director, Jane Llewellyn, for crafting it all into a cohesive whole.  The attention to detail that had gone into everything, from the eye-catching costumes, props and stage scenery to the beautifully-produced programme, and the organisation behind managing the car parking, ticket collection and shuttling of people to the site, via a mini-bus park-and-ride system, was truly impressive. 

The atmosphere added hugely to the enjoyment of the play, with audience members’ faces lighting up with pleasure and amusement as friends and family members took to the stage as Shakespearean characters.

I came away from the event feeling inspired by what can happen when a community comes together with a shared aim, a determination to make it happen and a preparedness to put in the hard work.  What happened that day was something very special."

Nicola Figini

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

What an achievment, in just four months from the very first meeting held on 28th February to the performance that took place on Sunday 27th June, the Dream came true!  And what a dream it was - people came from far and wide, the majority local people, many of whom walked up to the theatre from Lampeter, others took advantage of the free Park-and-Ride minibus from Allt Cefn Foel car park, or drove along the main forest track to the old quarry where an efficient team of stewards, headed by Tony Furlong, organized the car park there.  Ice cream was on sale from Mr Conti and refreshments from the Coffeebox and there was space for people to enjoy picnics in the beautiful sunshine.

All the hard work - rehearsals, costume-making, props and scenery-making plus all the organization needed to stage our first ever performance - tickets, programmes, posters, toilets, refreshments, minibus, signs etc etc, as well as doing the physical work on the seating terraces and stage, finally paid off.  The inaugural performance from The Longwood Players was truly magical! 

Thank you to everyone who was involved in this spectacular performance!!

Chloe Purton