There has been a creative splurge in the midst of Oberon.
A group of individuals, brought together by their shared passion for radio drama during the original Plays in a Day workshops, enjoyed the challenge of reimagining Shakespeare’s timeless script as an audio-only play. We set the action in the living room of teenager gamer Ron and his friends Tania and Puck. The computer game sets the action in the forests of our imagination. The teenagers battle through the levels of the digital game, trying it all on, including hacking the game, to come out on top. So our homegrown version “A Midsummer Night’s Digital Dream” came into being.
Next, find a team of local voice actors – from primary school students to play sweet fairies, high school students to voice the gaming teenagers and adults willing to commit a day to wrap their heads and tongues around the sometimes-baffling text and less-than-straight forward storyline.
And on November 12, 2023, the “Radio Play in a Day” workshop took place at The Malachi. The goal? To revel in the joy of crafting and presenting a play, culminating in a live performance reminiscent of the beloved radio dramas of yesteryears, all within the charming ambiance of a heritage Art Deco hall.
This innovative workshop and resulting YouTube recording owes its inception to the creativity and dedication of the Oberon locals.
Have a listen to our own “A Midsummer Night’s Digital Dream”, which drew its inspiration from the namesake of our town, Oberon – king of the Faeries, Shakespeare’s marvellous and eccentric creation and a tiny little AI contribution to the rap that concludes the play.
This collaborative community project received invaluable support from the NSW Government, specifically through its Reconnecting Regional Communities Event fund, and was recorded at The Malachi Gilmore Hall in Oberon NSW on Wiradjuri, Dharug and Gundungurra land.
