Indianapolis Ballet’s production of the Shakespeare tale of love and folly is choreographed by its Founding Artistic Director, Victoria Lyras, and is inspired by great masters such as New York City Ballet’s George Balanchine, and British choreographer, Sir Fredrick Ashton, who created his one-act versions titled The Dream for The Royal Ballet in London. Famed 19th-century German composer and pianist Felix Mendelssohn’s concert overture (Opus 21) and incidental music (Opus 61), which he composed at the ripe age of 17, proves the colorful and compelling musical score for the production (though Balanchine’s version is a full-length ballet that uses additional music by Mendelssohn).

A famous quote from the play, “The course of true love never did run smooth,” sets the stage for this “dream” of unrealistic happenings, crossed lovers, fairies, follies, forest chases leading the confusion, and magic spells woven with mischief.

The story begins with two Athenian couples, Lysander loves Hermia, and Hermia loves Lysander. Helena loves Demetrius, and while Demetrius used to love Helena, he now loves Hermia. Overwhelmed by the conflict, a frustrated and despairing Hermia escapes Athens by heading into the forest with Lysander. Demetrius pursues the couple, himself pursued by Helena.

In this enchanted moonlit forest, Oberon and Titania, King and Queen of the Fairies, are experiencing their own drama, locked in a dispute concerning a young Page in Titania’s court who she refuses to hand over. Oberon, annoyed and spiteful, sends his sprite, Puck, through the night to find the magic “love-in-idleness” flower that will make Titania fall in love with the first living creature she sees. Oberon himself sprinkles on the magic love drops on Queen Titania’s eyelids as she sleeps, intending humiliation by making her fall in love with a creature in the forest.

As Lysander and Hermia, and Helena and Demetrius, stray deeper into the woods, Oberon watches the mortals and takes pity on the rejected Helena. When Puck returns, Oberon orders him to sprinkle more drops of the magic flower into Demetrius’ eyes so that he will fall in love with Helena. Puck, however, makes the mistake of putting the drops on the eyelids of Lysander instead. Helena stumbles over Lysander in the forest, and the spell was cast; Lysander how desires Helena and renounces a stunned Hermia.

In the midst of this chaos, a group of rustic villagers, the “rude mechanicals,” amble into the forest. The three carousing characters - Bottom, Quince, and Starveling - are comic relief to the lovers’ drama we’ve just experienced. Puck watches them and decides to play a prank on Bottom after he strays from the groups, casting a spell that transforms Bottom’s head into one of a donkey.

The sleeping Titania awakens and the first thing she sees is the transformed Bottom…and it is indeed love at first sight for the Queen! Utter confusion reigns until Oberon takes pity on the confused lovers and orders Puck to make things right. The mortals are properly paired, Bottom is restored to human form, and Titania and Oberon are reconciled.