During the summer, instructional coach Andy Wolfe received a call from English and Theatre teacher Amber Gilbert asking if he would like to work alongside her. Together the two will be directing this year’s fall play A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare.
Gilbert had decided on A Midsummer Night’s dream two years ago; she is now adapting the play to a 1980s summer camp setting.
“The moment she said ‘set in a summer camp,’ she had me,” said Wolfe.
In the 1980s, Wolfe grew up going to Camp Miller located in Sturgeon Lake so the thought of directing a play set in a summer camp feels like nostalgia. It is the feeling of reminiscing in a past moment and taking in all the little details that made the memory great, camp does just that. Camp is a time where you unplug and enjoy the world around you while making great memories with great friends.
Not only does the setting of camp get Wolfe excited, it is also the thought of the music relating to the decade, especially early new wave and disco. Wolfe is looking to use music like “Magic” by Olivia Newton John, “All Over the World” by Electric Light Orchestra, and maybe “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by the Eurythmics.
As much as Wolfe loves music, he also loves collaboration, as it is a part of his everyday life. When he worked at Central Junior High in the early ‘90s, he met with his friend Francy Chammings. Together they created the drama program at the middle school and directed multiple plays there before Wolfe moved over to the high school.
Wolfe states he loves getting to see kids grow in their skills and their understanding of how theatre works, as well as for people to see the magic of theatre and how a live performance can entrance the audience.
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of the most magical plays; “magic” is also a song on a 1980s album, a theme in a play, and turning off of the lights when the curtains open,” he said.
As Wolfe gets ready to co-direct his first Shakespeare play, he wants students to know that to be entertained by your own friends is another thing that is magical.
