Brookview Student Helps Whippoorwill Theater Bring ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Magic to Life

With its fairies and enchantment, Shakespeare unlocked child-like delight with “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

Nearly 30 West Des Moines area kids will do it again this weekend when they stage a modern-day adaptation of the classic at Whippoorwill Theatre, the city Parks and Recreation Department’s year-round theater for kids.

The children’s theater company started several years ago as a one-week summer camp with a short performance at its conclusion. It was popular and reached a tipping point – four different groups were doing the same musical during two weeks of camps.

“The numbers and interest in the program were growing to the point that I could tell there was a need for something more organized that could serve more families more often than just during a week-long summer camp,” said Allison Ullestad, recreation coordinator for the city of West Des Moines.

She also knew that if the program were to grow to meet increased community demand, she would no longer be able to fold directing it into her other responsibilities. So she reached out via Facebook, seeking “a motivated person who would be willing to continue the children’s theater program I had started.”

A friend of Sarah Hobart’s saw the post.

Hobart, a former vocal music teacher, thought it was a perfect fit and Ullestad agrees.

“Sarah has been a great addition to the community and the Whippoorwill Children’s Theatre, under her leadership, has become another wonderful asset to West Des Moines,” Ullestad said.

Making Shakespeare Accessible to Kids

The young thespians are staging an adaptation of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” one of the Bard’s most beloved comedies, from Shakespeare4Kidz, a UK-based company.

Claire Coffman, 10, plays Moth, one of the fairies, in the play. She likes the “cool costume” she will be wearing, but also appreciates the vast nature of the complete works of Shakespeare, which she’s read about in biographies.

“He’s a very famous writer,” the Waukee Brookview Elementary student said. “He wrote all these plays. It seems kind of tough to do that many plays in a lifetime.”

The program recognizes that the Bard was one of the greatest storytellers of all time, that his works “illuminate the human experience” through compelling characters. So keen were Shakespeare’s observations about human nature that many cliches that have made their way into modern vernacular were coined centuries ago by the Bard.

“I think I am more confident now that I am on stage. Before, I was really, really shy about talking to people.” – Sabira Mokhtar

Very few of those famous lines made it into the adaptation, which is aimed at making Shakespeare’s work more accessible.

“Actual Shakespeare lines,” Hobart said, “only make up 10 percent. The rest is a modern update.”

The adaptation is age-appropriate and makes adult themes “as innocent as possible,” Hobart said. “We do touch on all the plot points, but we don’t linger. We do deal with relationships, but a lot of the implications don’t make it into the show.”

Hobart said that she had considered staging “Honk!” or “Charlotte’s Web” along with “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

“When I said Shakespeare, those kids’ faces lit up,” she said. “They know what his work is and they wanted to do it.”

Related: Whippoorwill Theatre’s Young Thespians Put on Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’

Claire is one of the “experienced” actors. She’s done “Alice in Wonderland,” another Whippoorwill production under Hobart’s direction, and “On the Radio,” one of the plays from the summer camp.

“I know everybody from my last theater classes,” she said. “It’s nice to have people around that I actually know.”

Decision time is a ways off, she allowed, but maybe she’ll be a professional actor.

Confidence, Friendship, Teamwork and Cooperation

But turning out professional actors isn’t one of the goals of the program.

Friendship, cooperation and teamwork are.

“Friendship is the most important and main thing,” Hobart said. “While they’re learning theater, dancing and music, they’re also learning teamwork, cooperation and confidence.”

Many of the kids she works with are nervous at audition time, but are relaxed by curtain time.

Hobart makes it “safe” with “a lot of encouragement” and letting them know “it’s OK to say you want to have some fun out there on stage.”

Megan Gilbreath, 12, a student at Summit Middle School in Johnston, is a veteran of the stage in the Des Moines area who has appeared in “too many [plays] to count.”

She and her family are Chicago transplants, and she got involved in theater to expand her circle of friends. She’s been in plays at the Des Moines Playhouse and Altoona Community Theater, but “Midsummer Night’s Dream” is her first play with Whippoorwill.

“I must say,” she said with an actor’s clear enunciation, “this is one of the best experiences I have had. All of these people are a big family, and if I do something silly, we’re just having fun.”

Sabira Mokhtar, 10, of Des Moines plays Puck, a fawn, in the play. She’s a newcomer to Iowa, but familiar with the stage. Her dad was a theatrical director before the family left Afghanistan.

Sabira said Whippoorwill makes it easier for her to make new friends, and she appreciates the spirit of cooperation with her fellow thespians.

“i like it here,” she said. “I like acting and making and meeting new friends and having a new experience.”

Sabira said she’s felt her confidence grow with each rehearsal.

“I think I am more confident now that I am on stage,” she said. “Before, I was really, really shy about talking to people.”

Hobart said she’s not sure what play’s next for the children’s theater company.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be one of the classics,” she said. “It just has to be quality and it has to have a large enough cast to get as many kids on stage as possible. That’s important to us.”

Melissa Coffman, Claire’s mom, called the program a gem and said West Des Moines Parks and Recreation has filled a void with Whippoorwill Theatre, which serves youths from around the metro area.

“It’s really not that easy to find theater for kids,” she said.

When and Where to See the Play

"Shakespeare 4 Kidz – A Midsummer Night’s Dream"
Rex Mathes Auditorium, 1501 Vine St., West Des Moines
Performances: 7:30 p.m. both Friday and Saturday, and Saturday matinee at 2 p.m.
Tickets: $15 at the door; $5 for kids under 12. ATkets may be purchased  at the box office 45 minutes before each performance.