Be The Bard: A Midsummer Night’s Dream– A Fun Twist On A Beloved Shakespearean Classic!
Salt Lake City, UT – Be the Bard: A Midsummer Night’s Dream is making its debut at the Midvale Main Street Theatre September 13-22. This well-known Shakespearean comedy portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta. These include the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of six amateur actors, who are controlled and manipulated by the fairies who inhabit the forest in which most of the play is set.
Be the Bard: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, conceived by A-Muses co-producer, David Hanson, turns this familiar comedy on its head by inviting a few volunteers from the audience during each performance to be part of the cast in some select roles. The audience member is handed a script or cue cards and a basic costume, and then joins the actors in this hilarious, zany romp. “I was inspired by my research of Shakespearean audiences in conceiving this production,” Hanson says. “In Shakespeare’s time, audiences were quite participative during a performance. Because his work is so well-known, I thought it would be fun to involve audience members as cast members. No two shows will be the same, and each one offers something fun for everyone. I look forward to bringing more of these types of comedies in this same fashion to local audiences in the future.”
Mike Brown directs and this production with Elise Hanson as assistant director. The cast includes Travis Hyer (Thesus), Julie Benedict (Hippolyta), Rusty Bringhurst (Egeus & ), Kathryn Wilkins (Hermia), Kati Paul (Helena), Ryan Honeycutt (Lysander), Sean Keene (Demetrius), Jeremy Jonsson (Oberon), Michelle Hall (Titania), Eve Speer (Puck), Timothy Schonburg (Peter Quince), Rusty Bringhurst (Nick Bottom), Bryce Kamryn (Francis Flute), and a variety of audience members in several roles. 
Fairy Queen & King with the Lovers [Left to right: Michelle Hall (Titania), Jeremy Jonsson (Oberon), Kati Paul (Helena) & Sean Keene (Demetrius)]
Photo by: Mike Brown
Performance Details:
Dates: September 13-15, 20-22, 2012
Times: 7:30pm
Location: Midvale Main Street Theatre, 7711 South Main Street, Midvale, UT 84047
Tickets: $10
Reservations: 801-566-0596 or online at www.a-muses.com
Wheelchair accessible
About A-Muses:
A-Muses is a production company and marketing and advertising organization that supports the performing arts. They offer a variety of branding, interactive, media, and event management/production services that support the unique needs of customers and audiences. They work to help arts organizations cultivate current customer relationships and reach new audiences while helping artists and performers rise above the competition.
