The chilly Syracuse winter is no match for the warm enchantments of a Shakespearean summer and its mischievous fairies, rude mechanicals and pining lovers when the Syracuse University Drama Department presents "A Midsummer Night's Dream" beginning Feb. 24. The show runs through March 5 in the Storch Theatre, located at the SU Drama/Syracuse Stage complex, 820 E. Genesee St., Syracuse.
Directed by drama professor Lisa Anne Porter, the play reminds audiences "the course of true love never did run smooth." Set in Athens, the comedy centers on a foursome of would-be lovers who flee into the woods seeking refuge from parents, arranged marriages and the general rigidity of everyday life. In the woods they encounter fairies who try to help their plight (but end up complicating things further) and a group of craftsmen preparing a dramatic performance fit for a king (but producing one that won't even impress his steward). Over the course of one magical night, the lovers have to sort out complications of their convoluted love triangle before re-emerging into the bright light of day.
"Part of the journey of the play is how order is restored and what people draw from the journey into chaos," says Porter. "There is something wonderful about chaos. In the woods, the lovers experience themselves in a way that they had not before. I'm trying to create a production that gives the students a really good sense of speaking Shakespeare. There is a lot of attention to what is being said, and all of our choices in the play are drawn from the Shakespearean text."
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" includes 25 students, the largest cast appearing in an SU Drama production this season. The main characters are played by senior Michael J. Contini as Puck, the roguish fairy who wreaks havoc wherever he lands, and seniors Alexander Billet, Jonathan Ledoux, Rachel Moulton and Sharone Sayegh as the foursome of lovers who flee into the unruly woods.
Tickets for the SU Drama production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" are $16 for adults and $14 for students and senior citizens. March 1 is "Pay What You Can Night" for valid SU I.D. cardholders. For tickets and more information, contact the SU Drama Department Box Office at (315) 443-3275 or
visit http://vpa.syr.edu/drama.
