Pyramus and Thisbe

The legend of Pyramus and Thisby is known today primarily because William Shakespeare used it in his comedy "A Midsummer Night’s Dream." As a part of Shakespeare’s play, six workers, sometimes called “mechanicals” or “clowns,” decide to present a play for the festivities that will follow the wedding of the Duke of Athens. In this one-act, we see the mechanicals getting their parts, then rehearsing in the woods the night before the wedding. Of course, these men know nothing about acting or play production, and, as a result, the audience is treated to a rousing, laughable performance by inept, though enthusiastic, actors doing the best they can. They do not think they are funny on the contrary, they believe they are performing this tragic love story of two Babylonian young people quite well. The play will tell the story of the doomed lovers Pyramus and Thisby: of how they met at Ninus’ tomb, declared their love, and died bloody deaths. But the workers’ rehearsal of this sad tale, like their ultimate performance in "Midsummer," is more tragic than the lovers’ untimely deaths! Both high school and junior high school students love this play, either as performers or as audience members. About 30 minutes.