Brucemore auditions April 6 & 7

Brucemore - Auditions for the 15th anniversary Classics at Brucemore production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 6 and 7, from 5:30 to 7:30pm in the Brucemore Visitor Center. This is an open audition for specific roles. Audition scenes will be provided.

There will be pre-rehearsal meetings in May and the rehearsal period will begin on June 7. Directed by Jason Alberty, the Classics performances are July 8 – 10 and 15 – 17 with a rain-date scheduled for July 18. The gates open at 7:00pm and the performances begin at 8:00pm.

Parts available in A Midsummer Night’s Dream:

* Lysander: Male; 20s; the basic romantic-comedy lead.
* Hermia: Female; 20s; innocent; average to shorter in height.
* Helena: Female; 20s; the foil to Hermia; above average height.
* Theseus: Male; 30s-40s; Duke of Athens.
* Oberon: Male; 20s-40s; virile, mysterious without brooding, embodiment of nature.

The Classics at Brucemore began as a collaboration between Torchlight Theatrics and Brucemore in 1996, thus launching outdoor theatre in Eastern Iowa. The Classics celebrates a rich history of quality live theatre, from Greek tragedy to Shakespearean comedy and 20th century American drama. Much more than a play performed outdoors, The Classics fully utilizes the site as the natural amphitheatre provides a lush backdrop, and the outdoor environment is incorporated into the action — actors emerge from the woods, get dunked in the pond, and help themselves to the audience’s picnic.

Ready for a midsummer night's dream?

Riverside - The 10th annual Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival opens this weekend with a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. (Richard III opens June 19th.)

"A Midsummer Night’s Dream", directed by Ron Clark, is one of Shakespeare's most magical comedies. It's a delightful romp through an enchanted forest as a quartet of mismatched lovers and a gang of hapless actors cross paths with the king and queen of the fairies. This is not the first time Riverside has done this show as part of their summer festival. Midsummer is probably the one Shakespearean play directors most often adjust to a different setting. Besides Riverside's 2003 50s-era production, I can recall a New Orleans themed version done by the University of Iowa a number of years ago. It will be interesting to see if Riverside plays it straight or mixes it up for this production. Check back for a review after the opening weekend.

To make an evening of the festival, audience members are invited to bring a blanket and enjoy a picnic in City Park. Concession items are available for sale before the show and during intermission. One hour before each main stage performance, gather at the Green Show stage (located next to the pavilion) to brush up on the plot of that night’s play with original story theatre versions of "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" and "Richard III" performed by the Festival Intern Company.

Special Family Nights and group discounts are also offered. To purchase tickets, call the box office at (319) 338-7672 or visit their website.

Schedule of performances:

Friday, June 12 at 8:00 pm
Saturday, June 13 at 8:00 pm
Sunday, June 14 at 7:00 pm

Wednesday, June 24 at 8:00 pm
Thursday, June 25 at 8:00 pm
Sunday, June 28 at 7:00 pm

Tuesday, June 30 at 7:00 pm
Thursday, July 2 at 8:00 pm
Friday, July 3 at 8:00 pm

Tuesday, July 7 at 7:00 pm
Wednesday July 8 at 8:00 pm
Saturday, July 11 at 8:00 pm
Sunday, July 12 at 7:00 pm

Riverside's 2009 Shakespeare shows chosen

Riverside - Riverside Theatre is proud to announce the 2009 Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival. This summer’s 10th annual festival will feature Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Richard III. Both shows will run in rotation from June 12 through July 12. Tickets will be on sale in April.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Ron Clark, is one of Shakespeare's most magical comedies. This show is a magical romp through an enchanted forest as a quartet of mismatched lovers and a gang of hapless actors cross paths with the king and queen of the fairies. This is the second time Riverside has produced this show at part of their Shakespeare festival. A Daily Iowan reporter described the 2003 production like this:

A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play full of magic, and in Riverside's production, it also contains poodle skirts, nifty frocks, and other flashy clothing.

Attire from the '50s aside, the play tells the story of love on varying levels, complete with an ass-head and a bottle of special love juice in a world in which pink Mohawked punk-fairies (the immortals) mingle with Joan Clever-esque characters (the mortals).

(full article)

It will be interesting to see what Riverside does this time with the Shakespearean play that is most easily adapted to a director's vision. That 2003 production was paired with Macbeth, one of Shakespeare's darker plays. This time we get Richard III, an equally dark history play that has the title character waging his own private war as he murders, manipulates, and marries his way to the throne. Kristin Horton directs this story of a self-proclaimed villain battling to obtain and retain the crown.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Richard III will be performed at the Festival Stage in Lower City Park. The space, which seats over 400 people, is based on Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre of 1600. Based on a concept by theatre designer Paul Sannerud, the space was designed by Neumann-Monson Architects.