Elements Theatre Kicks Off Year-Long Shakespeare Salute with A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, Now thru 8/18

Elements Theatre Company of Cape Cod kicked off its 2013-14 year-long tribute to William Shakespeare with one of his most popular comedies, A Midsummer Night's Dream, with a successful opening weekend August 9-11. Performances continue August 16-18 at Paraclete House, Rock Harbor, Orleans.

The inspiration for numerous adaptations, including Ingmar Bergman's "Smiles of a Summer Night," Stephen Sondheim's "A Little Night Music," and a star-studded 1999 feature film with Kevin Kline and Michelle Pfeiffer, A Midsummer Night's Dream is the perfect escape on a hot summer's eve.

Set in modern-day New York City, this comedy of love in its many guises brings together star-crossed lovers, quarreling kings and queens, mischievous fairy sprites and a ragtag troupe of traveling players, all chasing their dreams under the summer moon's intoxicating spell. Romance and ambitions of grandeur run rampant, and it's difficult to tell the difference between the lovers, lost souls, and fools.

"Shakespeare follows a tradition of many classical writers that sets his characters in two places, the court and the country," notes Danielle Dwyer, Elements Artistic Director. "The court and its business represent the law and hierarchy of society, while the country offers a respite from the tension of the court - its treachery, and, at times, its danger. I would suggest that Shakespeare reveals to us in the wood (Central Park, in our case) that we take with ourselves all that we are and all that we may become. It is in the test of danger, the hope of a dream, the chance to be an ass and revel in that state, that we discover new courage to face what we have fled."

A Midsummer Night's Dream runs August 9, 10, 11 and August 16, 17, 18 at Elements Theatre Company, Paraclete House, Rock Harbor, Orleans, Cape Cod. All performances are at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $30 ($25 for seniors, FREE for students and ages 18 and under). On August 10, 16 and 17, a special dinner/theater package is also available. Dinner is served outdoors on the patio adjacent to the theater at 6:00 p.m. Dinner/theater tickets are $60 ($55 for Seniors, $18 for ages 18 and under). Groups of 10 or more receive a 20 percent discount. For more information and reservations, call 508-240-2400. Tickets can also be purchased online at elementstheatre.org.

Elements Theatre Company's year-long tribute to Shakespeare continues with:

· "The Word Made Flesh," an audio/video project presenting all 154 of Shakespeare's sonnets, recited by people of all ages and walks of life.

· A mid-winter tour of schools and colleges throughout the region, where members of the creative team and Acting Company, experts in Shakespearean study and performance, will lead workshops, discussions and master classes that encourage students and faculty to take Shakespeare's words from the page to the stage.

· August 2014: A full-scale, outdoor production of Shakespeare's greatest tragedy, King Lear, taking place on the stately grounds of the Church of the Transfiguration at Rock Harbor.

For more information about A Midsummer Night's Dream and the entire 2013-14 season, call the Elements Theatre Company box office at 508-240-2400 or visit online at www.elementstheatre.org.

Elements Theatre Company is a resident ensemble dedicated to exploring the vitality of the written word and the deepest truths within the text. Through dramatic storytelling and imaginative stagecraft, Elements approaches both classic and modern works with honesty and authenticity. Founded in 1992, Elements Theatre Company is part of the Gloriæ Dei Artes Foundation, a non-profit arts organization based in Orleans, Mass. Operating year-round, Elements performs three or four shows each year on Cape Cod in addition to touring extensively, presenting workshops and performing at conferences, schools and churches.

To post a comment, you must register and login.