A Midsummer Night's Dream Set to Alight on Alley Theatre Stage

A Midsummer Night’s Dream begins performances tonight at Alley Theatre.

In this Shakespeare comedy, the woods outside Athens are a busy place. The impending marriage in the Court of Theseus and Hippolyta sets the context for the story that sends four wrangling lovers off into the forest, the domain of the King and Queen of the Fairies. Elsewhere in the forest, a troupe of actors, the Rude Mechanicals, meet to rehearse their own play, which they hope to perform for the court. The characters enter into a dream-state in the forest, under the influence of spells that can encourage unbridled passion.

Directed by Gregory Boyd, the cast includes Alley resident company members John Feltch (Theseus and Oberon), Josie de Guzman (Hippolyta and Titania), Jeffrey Bean (Egeus), Jay Sullivan (Puck), Elizabeth Bunch (Hermia), Melissa Pritchett (Helena), Chris Hutchison (Lysander), Michael Brusasco (Demetrius), Jeffrey Bean (Quince), Todd Waite (Starveling), James Black (Bottom), John Tyson (Flute), Paul Hope (Snout), and David Rainey (Snug). Rounding out the cast are McKenna Marmolejo, Trace Pool, Luke Hamilton, and Joy Yvonne Jones. The production features live music by Ryan Chavez and Mike Whitebread.

"A Midsummer Night’s Dream was one of the first plays I saw in performance – and I have loved it since I was young," said Boyd. "Working on this production was filled with the exhilaration of rediscovery for me, and rehearsing it with this company of actors a particular pleasure."

The creative team includes Vincent Mountain (scenic design), Judith Dolan (costume design), Jaymi Lee Smith (lighting design). Gregg Coffin (original music composition and music direction), Barry G. Funderberg (sound design), Peter Pucci (choreography), and Brandon Weinbrenner (assistant director).

Performances run through November 5.

For more information and tickets, click here.