Costuming is absolutely integral to Shakespeare’s plays, as in the 1500s there were only really costuming and basic props to help promote scenes and imagery as lighting and sound hadn’t been in use and available at the time. Some directors and people like to keep the plays like this, as it closely resembles the originals. Yet others bring modernity to the play in order to appeal to new and younger audiences. Yet the main constant over time has been costuming.

From the way the Athenians dress, to the extraordinary and mystical dress of the fairies, each different production takes different routes, yet the debates on the donkey head or features has been at the front of directors minds for every production. In my opinion, I believe the play to be more comedic and funny with raw emotions, therefore leading me to be more inclined to a full donkey head mask, as it provides more of a visual to audiences. Modernly we could circumvent the problem of inflection and volume in speech with a mic and/or sound effects. While if the play took a more serious, yet funny, approach I could see the use of the ears and nose rather than a full mask in order to express facial expressions for Bottom. Yet with the physical movement, you could express bottoms emotions easily as well when the mask is on.

• Amanda

In the final act of the play, we get to experience the Shakespearian version of Inception in the 1590s. The mechanical’s play can be performed in many different ways. Traditionally its performed as a hot mess, with the mechanicals all over the place and Bottom trying to take it far too seriously. Yet there’s been productions where the mechanicals is all taking the play seriously, yet are so bad its funny.

I remember watching a traveling acting troupe in high school perform where the mechanicals’ play was performed as seriously as possible, yet they were doing so bad it was funny, like the movie The Room. Yet, the nature and personalities of the mechanicals shine through, such as Bottom interrupting to answer rhetorical questions Theseus states.

When thinking of the mechanicals play within a play, a director could go wrong very easily, by either pushing the humor too far or mismatching it with the overall vibes of the play. For example, if the play follows more of a somber and dark humor vibe, making the mechanicals all try to be funny could be off-putting and just turn out plain not funny.

• Amanda