The Department of Theatre and Cinema in the School of Fine Arts at Missouri Western State University presents William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Oct. 3-13 in the Potter Hall Theater. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 3-5 and Oct. 10-12 and at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6 and Oct. 13. Tickets are $12 for adults; $8 for faculty, staff and military; and $6 for students. Tickets may be purchased online at mwsutix.com, in person at the Potter Hall Box Office or by phone at 816-271-4452. There is a charge of $2 per ticket for phone orders.
“This is one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies, and our production will be both funny and sexy,” said Dallas Henry, assistant professor of theatre and cinema and the show’s director. “We’ve got an energetic cast that will bring the beautiful language of Shakespeare to life in a magical way that I believe audiences will really respond to.”
“The course of true love never did run smooth,” says Lysander in the romantic comedy’s first scene, and the interwoven stories about confused lovers, warring fairies and terrible actors in a moonlit forest on a midsummer night certainly bear that statement out. Missouri Western’s production transfers the setting from ancient Athens to Victorian England, incorporating musical motifs from that time period, but Shakespeare’s language remains intact.
The Potter Hall Theater has been transformed for the production. Crews have removed the first three rows of seats and built a “thrust stage,” based on the design of the Festival Theatre in Stratford, Ontario and similar to the Elizabethan stages on which Shakespeare’s plays were originally performed. Henry has added his own twist to the classic design: an 11-by-11-foot pool in the middle of the thrust stage.
“The thrust stage brings the audience much closer to the performers,” Henry said. “That makes it a much more intimate performance and puts more pressure on the actors, with part of the audience literally feet away. Water just seemed like a natural element to add to the story, and I’ve since learned that many of the great productions of this play have included something similar.”
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is the first show in Missouri Western’s 2013-2014 “A Season of Laughter.” The season features a couple of new wrinkles. First, beer and wine will be sold in the Potter Hall lobby before each show and during intermission. Second, after every Saturday evening performance, cast and crew members will retake the stage to talk and answer questions about the show. Other shows in “A Season of Laughter” include “The Drowsy Chaperone” Nov. 21-24 and Dec. 5-8, Steve Martin’s “Picasso at the Lapin Agile” Feb. 13-16, and Mel Brooks’ “The Producers” April 3-13.
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.