“I learned doing my Master’s dissertation that “done is better than perfect”.”
WHO: Julia Lisa
WHAT: “Did Shakespeare predict the climate crisis? And is the solution hidden in his works? Shakespeare’s hidden climate play delights and enlightens. This new mash-up of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tempest, and Macbeth humorously explores some of society’s current affairs; tackling themes of patriarchy, women’s rights, colonialism, climate change, and queerness through the chaos of one stormy night. This new adaptation stays true to the Bard’s humour and poetry in a punchy, purposeful play packed into one-hour. This world premiere is enchanting for audiences of all ages.”
WHERE: theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall – Theatre 2 (Venue 53)
WHEN: 15:55 (50 min)
MORE: Click Here!
Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
Despite the valley girl accent, I actually live here in Edinburgh now. I did come from California where spent many many years doing the @Hollywoodfringe! I came here to do my Master’s Degree in Environmental Sustainability (where I met my co-director Riley, who also was a Theatre-nerd that cared about sustainability!). We both were in The Edinburgh University Shakespeare Company’s Fringe show last year: “Hekabe” by Euripides (not Shakespeare, but still very tragic!) During that time we joked we should do a Climate Crisis version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (which I have always wanted to do!!). We thought Fringe would be the perfect place to test this work. From our own experience at the festival, short, fun shows with deep heartfelt moments are what we enjoy. We hope to bring that joy and impact to audiences, and then become audiences ourselves to revel in all the wonder Fringe has to offer this year! It has been crazy living here and experiencing the way Edinburgh goes from sleepy winter city to the frenzy of fringe! I am excited to see some of my Hollywood Fringe friends and their shows here in Scotland!
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
Are we talking lessons in general? Or Fringe-lessons?
Lessons in general, I would say, I learned doing my Master’s dissertation that “done is better than perfect”. That was my mantra that allowed me to get over my perfectionism and complete the 50-page report. I took that lesson into writing this play. In the moments when I got stuck because it wasn’t perfect, I knew it was worth getting it out of my head and onto the page in any way. It was still a work in progress when the show was cast, but it was a full script! Hearing it out aloud allowed me to refine the moments and text. I would not have been able to do that if I had not gotten past my writer’s perfectionism.
In regards to Fringe, my incredible co-director, Riley and I have tried to maximise our rehearsal time while still honouring our young casts’ summer. We started with Zoom rehearsals to do text and character work, which allowed our incredible cast to be home or on holiday, then when we got into the rehearsal room in person they were off-book and in character ready to play! This has allowed us to achieve the snappy fun vibe with real heart-felt moments that we were aiming for in a Fringe show.
Tell us about your show.
A Midsummer’s Tempest is a mash-up of Shakespeare’s works —A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tempest, and Macbeth, so I suppose Shakespeare wrote the words and I came in and bastardized it. Or rather, I just brought out elements that were hiding… This adaptation humorously explores some of society’s current affairs: Tackling themes of patriarchy, women’s rights, colonialism, climate change, and queerness through the chaos of one stormy Edinburgh night.
As a Buddhist, Environmentalist and Shakespeare Nerd, I investigated the themes of nature, climate and humanity in his plays. While the climate elements in A Midsummer Night’s Dream are not a new discovery, delving deeper into this concept revealed an intriguing insight: Shakespeare himself inadvertently alludes to a Buddhist philosophy that might offer solutions to our current crises. This adaptation is grounded in the Buddhist concept, ‘oneness of self and environment’.
My qualifications to butcher the Bard stem from my 8 years studying, working, and teaching with the critically acclaimed Los Angeles-based Shakespeare theatre, Theatricum Botanicum, known for pushing the envelope, bridging Shakespeare with contemporary issues and politics.
Bravely, The Edinburgh University Shakespeare Company is bringing it to Fringe for its World Premiere! We have an incredible cast of youthful local actors, which is incredible because the play is set right here in Edinburgh.
After this run, the adaptation can head to other theatre companies interested in an updated Shakespeare play for our time.
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
We are super excited for the Literary Pub crawl, it’s drinking and story-telling! But there are also so many Shakespeare-related things we want to see, such as Shakespeare For Breakfast, After Shakespeare with Lexi Wolfe, and Hamstrung play by George M Rennie! These all seem to be fun or cutting-edge takes on Shakespeare, which we love to see. Some exciting looking queer shows we want to check out are, Saint, Break Up With Your Boyfriend, Losing The Plot – The Musical, Hardly Working, and Deeptime (This one is also about climate and queerness!!!)! We don’t know these shows personally and are just genuinely interested in them. Do you have any other suggestions??
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