The Asolo Theatre Company NEWS
February 16, 2005
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THE ASOLO IS SHAKING UP SHAKESPEARE WITH A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
Sarasota, Florida –The Asolo Theatre Company is excited to present the Shakespearean play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, opening on March 18, 2005 at 8:00 p.m. in the Harold E. and Esther M. Mertz Theatre. The opening night performance is followed by a “mingle with the stars” champagne reception in the lobby.
The Asolo Theatre Company production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is part of Shakespeare in American Communities, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in cooperation with Arts Midwest. Additional sponsorship is provided by Northern Trust Bank, the private bank.
Directed by Paul Weidner, with scenic design by Steven Rubin and costume design by Pamela Scofield; the production boasts a cast of 18 actors including Asolo associate artists James Clarke, Douglas Jones, Devora Millman and Bradford Wallace, and John Sterling Arnold.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s better known plays and deals with the lighter Shakespearean themes of love and fantasy. He writes of a dreamlike world beyond reality where imagination and creativity reign along side the Fairy King and Queen, and where the mischievous Puck plies his trade upon unsuspecting mortals. Shakespeare wrote this play in the same year (1595) that he wrote Romeo and Juliet and Richard II.
But if you’re expecting a dreamlike soft and lyrical version, think again. Instead, as Director Paul Weidner suggests, think about words like ‘feisty, athletic, bouncy, active, and energetic in describing it - even vivacious.’
According to Weidner, “A Midsummer Night's Dream, written early in Shakespeare's career, shares with Romeo And Juliet the energy of a tangle of young lovers, rebellious and hotheaded, and combines that world with the strange forces of the night-time forest and the hilarious efforts of a bunch of amateur actors putting on a play within the play. Our version gives this play exciting new life.”
Costume designer Pamela Scofield has this to say, “I think we wanted to have some fun, shake up people's expectations, and get away from the usual. Since a large portion of the cast are young and students, it made sense to key into them. I saw a retrospective exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art last summer of the sculptures of Lee Bontecou and I brought some research from that to Paul and Steve. They both reacted positively to her aesthetic. Mostly we want it to be fun but beautiful and luscious, sensual and earthy.” She adds, “As far as how I feel about working on the show...it's a hoot!”
With all this vigor reflected in how the play is presented, The Asolo has high expectations of success in reaching out to young audiences through its involvement with Shakespeare in American Communities via a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, in cooperation with Arts Midwest. This grant specifically enables the Asolo to reach out to underserved students and into surrounding communities that may not have otherwise been able to participate in its Access to the Arts program.
“We’re going into Hillsborough and PinellasCounties and reaching out to schools where students need us the most,” says Carole Kleinberg the Asolo’s education director. “With this contemporary and energetic look and feel, the play is sure to reach students in ways that a more traditional production could not. I am very excited at the possibilities.”
The Asolo's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream performs in the Harold E. and Esther M. Mertz Theatre from March 18 - May 8, 2005. Tickets ($15-$47) are on sale now at the Asolo Box Office or on the website at www.asolo.org.
The Asolo Theatre Company, the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training, and Sarasota Ballet of Florida operate, train and perform within the Florida State University Center for the Performing Arts at 5555 N Tamiami Trail in Sarasota, Florida.
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The Asolo is funded in part by the Division of Cultural Affairs, Florida Department of State, The Florida Arts Council, the City and County of Sarasota and the Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax through the Board of County Commissioners, the Tourist Development Council, and the Sarasota Arts Council. The Asolo Theatre Company’s Shakespeare productions are sponsored in part by Shakespeare in American Communities, a national theater initiative sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Sallie Mae Fund in cooperation with Arts Midwest. Additional funding is also received through the efforts of support groups including the Asolo Angel Association, the Asolo Theatre Guild, The Directors Emeritus and the generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations.