Last Monday and Tuesday evening, students interested in participating in Manhattan High’s spring production of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” auditioned for the play. According to Austin Grand Pre, the event was satisfying.

“It went very well. There were a lot of freshmen; I was really excited to see them wanting to participate, and the auditions went great,” junior Austin Grand Pre, who has been cast in the show as Oberon, the fairy king, said. “We had to randomly dance for 30 seconds in a Backstreet Boys style. It was the funniest moment.”

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of the most popular comedies written by Shakespeare, is a play that has been performed all around the world. One of the the world’s most popular love stories, it describes the adventures of four young lovers, a group of amateur actors and a few mischievous fair folk, including Puck, a jokester fairy. The story takes place in a mythical ancient Athens and an enchanted forest.

“I am really excited, feel blessed. My character is kind of like a Peter Pan character, and he messes everything up,” junior Savannah Smith, who has been cast as Puck [Robin Goodfellow], said. “The audition was lovely; we got to dance.”

Luke Stramel, who graduated from MHS in 2005, is directing the production and helping Linda Uthoff, MHS drama teacher, produce it.

“We haven’t done Shakespeare in six years, and the last time we did ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ was in 1999,” Uthoff said.