Fireside Folktales presents A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. Act four, scene two.
Have you sent to Bottom's house? Is he come home yet?
He cannot be heard of.
Out of doubt, he is transported. If he come not, then the play is marred. It goes not forward, doth it?
It is not possible. You have not a man in all Athens able to discharge Pyramus. But he.
No. He hath simply the best wit of any handicraft man in Athens.
Yea, and the best person too. And he is a very paramour.
For a sweet voice you must say paragon. A paramour is, God bless us, a thing of naught.
Masters, the duke is coming from the temple. And there is two or three lords and ladies more married. If our sport had gone forward, we had all been made men.
Oh, sweet bully Bottom. Thus hath he lost sixpence a day during his life. He could not have scaped sixpence a day. And the duke had not given him sixpence a day for playing Pyramus. I'll be hanged. He would have deserved it. Sixpence a day in Pyramus, or nothing.
Where are these lads? Where are these hearths?
Bottom. O most courageous day. O most happy hour.
Masters, I am to discourse wonders, but ask me not what for. If I tell you I am not true Athenian, I will tell you everything. Right as it fell out.
Let us hear.
Sweetbottom, not a word of me. All that I will tell you is that the duke hath died. Get your apparel together. Good strings to your beards, new ribbons to your pumps. Meet presently at the palace. Every man look o' er his part for the short and the long is our play is play. In any case, let this be have clean linen. And let not him that plays the lion pare his nails, for they shall hang out for the lion's claws. And most dear actors, eat no onions nor garlic, for we are to utter sweet breath. And I do not doubt, but to hear them say it is a sweet comedy. No more words. Away. Go away. SA.
This episode of A Midsummer Night's Dream featured the vocal talents. Ivy Kasparek as Quince. CB Drozh as Flute. Roz Ray Powers as Snout. Anusha Battersby as Starveling. Dante Majors as Snug. Josh Rubino as Bottom. A Midsummer Night's Dream was produced and directed by Dallas Hawthorne with the assistance of Roz Ray Powers. Cole Burkhart was the sound designer. Allie Hilton composed the music. Adam Raimonda composed the theme song. This show would not have been possible without the support of friends, family and many, many, many of our respected peers in the audio drama sphere. If you want to provide your support to the cast and crew of the show, please consider donating to our Coffee page, which you can find linked in the Show Notes. If you wish to donate directly to a cast or crew member of your choosing, you can find out how to do that in the Show Notes as well. Transcriptions of each episode, including the edits made during production, can also be found linked in the Show Notes. Generally, anything you might need to know should be down in the Show Notes. Thank you for listening.