Opening November 7th and running through November 16 the Shawnee Playhouse and Pocono Shakes! presents Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream.
Directed by Richard Rose, the play features a large cast including Juliet Dunham, John Bradley, Taylor Rupp, Sarah Lanstrom, Dan Moldovan, Aaron Pappalardo, Patrick Turner, Gillian Turner, Robin Kessler, Ryan Moore, Joseph Ferraro, Angelo Revilla, Stephen Hellman ,Aubrey Haskell, Nell Fossa, Stephanie Clare, Eileen Cohen, Luke Swierczek, Ryan Moore and Teddy Bresnyan. Production Manager is Juliet Dunham.
Stage Managers include Sarah McCarroll and Diane Stanton. Composer is Carolyn Bryant and costumer is Amy Cramer.
The Shawnee Playhouse press release reads:
"A Midsummer Night's Dream is a classic example of Shakespearean comedy, though its not what we expect from a comedy in modern times.
"First off, it has a light, humorous tone. The play features fairy magic (like Oberon's love potion), silly pranks (like the transformation of a guy's head into that of a jackass), and the botched performance of a play-within-the-play by a bunch of lowly actors. Need we say more'
"It also includes light, clever banter. Shakespeare is a huge fan of punning and snappy wordplay, so naturally, his characters know how to get their "witty" on. Shakespeare reserves some of the best dialogue for his warring lovers, especially Oberon and Titania, and even the "rude mechanicals" manage to wow us with their clever banter.
"Shakespeare also includes multiple plots with twists and turns including deception and disguise and mistaken identities! There are several lines of action in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Shakespeare invites us to sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. The first plot involves Theseus and Hippolyta's upcoming wedding. The second plot line involves the young Athenian lovers who run around the wood in confusion. The third plot follows Oberon's tiff with his wife, Titania. As a fourth plot line, Shakespeare works in a bunch of craftsmens (the Mechanicals), who plan to perform a play at Theseus's big fancy wedding.
"However, no matter what else happens, love overcomes all obstacles and Shakespeare's comedies ALWAYS end with one or more marriages (or the promise of marriage). This is Shakespeare's way of restoring social order to the world of his plays (after turning order on its head for a few hours). At the end of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Theseus finally gets to marry Hippolyta and spend the night with her (which he's been talking about since the play's opening lines). As for the four humans who have been chasing each other around the forest and falling in and out of love, they finally settle down and hook up with a steady partner: Hermia weds Lysander and Demetrius gets hitched to Helena. It's a good thing A Midsummer Night's Dream isn't a tragedy, otherwise, this ugly little domestic dispute would end badly. How badly' Think Romeo and Juliet"
Performances will be 2:00 pm November 7, 9 and 15, and 7:00 pm November 7, 8, 14 and 16.
Ticket Prices are $19 Adults and $16 for Seniors over 55, AAA Members and Military, and $11, 12 years and younger.
To reserve tickets please call the Shawnee Playhouse Box Office at 570-421-5093 or visit the website at www.theshawneeplayhouse.com
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