When some of the Pacific students at Best Training’s Performing Arts course first read William Shakespeare’s classic tale of a Midsummer Night’s Dream, they didn’t understand a word of what they were reading.

However that soon changed thanks to a lot of coaching and rehearsals from the Course Director, Iosefa Enari Jnr.

Best Training runs numerous courses like computer and job training skills in West and South Auckland. The Performing Arts course is aimed at 15 -17 year olds who have left school or who didn’t do well at school. Most are predominantly Pacific Island. This course is funded by Skills New Zealand to help young people who want to be up skilled.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is set around several different characters. Theseus, Duke of Athens, is about to marry Hippolyta, a lady warrior who he conquered.
 

Egeus brings his daughter Hermia to court. She and Lysander want to get married, but Egeus wants her to marry Demetrius, who also wants her. Under Athenian law, Hermia must marry the man of her father's choice.
 
Theseus says he will enforce this law and gives everyone a few days to decide.

Demetrius has seduced and abandoned Helena, Hermia's friend. Lysander and Hermia decide to elope and get married in the next town, beyond the reach of Athenian law. Hermia tells Helena, who tells Demetrius in order to ingratiate herself to him. Hermia and Lysander flee into the woods, Demetrius follows the lovers, and Helena follows him.

Out in the forest, Oberon and Titania, king and queen of fairyland, have quarrelled over who will raise an orphaned Indian boy. Oberon sends Puck to find a magic flower. Cupid's arrow, aimed at Queen Elizabeth, was diverted and hit the flower.  Now this flower's juice, applied to a sleeper's eyes, will make the person fall in love with whomever he or she sees first upon awakening. Puck brings the flower, and Oberon applies it to the eyes of sleeping Titania. Oberon then tells Puck to apply it to the eyes of Demetrius, so that when he wakes and sees Helena he will love her instead.
 
Hermia and Lysander fall asleep, with

Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, a part of Best Training’s Performance Arts course in Auckland being funded by Skills New Zealand.

Students at Best Training’s Performance Arts course receiving coaching and rehearsal of the Midsummer Night’s Dream play with course director, Iosefa Enari Jr.

Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare play being performed by Best Training’s Performance Arts course students in Auckland.

Lysander honouring Hermia's request to sleep a little distance away. Puck mistakes Lysander for Demetrius and puts the love juice in his eyes. Helena sees Lysander, thinks he may be hurt, and wakes him. Lysander sees Helena and falls in love with her. This gives rise to a comic situation, with much clever language and remarks about the ironies and irrationality of love.

Some skilled labourers have gone into the woods to rehearse a play for the wedding. They rewrite it, replacing the lovers' parents by "the moon" and "a wall". Puck puts a donkey head on Bottom the weaver. Titania, awakening, falls in love with him.

Demetrius and Lysander meet Helena and Hermia and the love-comedy continues, with the men about to come to blows. Oberon sees what has happened, and instructs Puck to separate the two men, which he does using ventriloquism. Lysander is lost in the dark and decides to sleep it out. Demetrius is tired and rests, and Puck applies the love juice. Oberon applies the antidote to Lysander and Titania.

Demetrius wakes up and falls in love with Helena. Theseus enters, the now properly paired lovers are united, and everybody is happy. The humans wonder how much of the night's events have been real, and how much was a dream. The labourers perform their play-within-a-play. Although it's bad, Theseus and the others appreciate the sincerity and effort.
 

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