Virtual Premiere of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM - THE REWIRED MUSICAL to be Presented by FUSE Theatre CT in May

FUSE Theatre of CT is taking Shakespeare into the 21st century digital forest with A Midsummer Night's Dream - The Rewired Musical. Marrying the classic romantic comedy to a virtual setting with all-new songs, this reboot finds the Bard's young lovers, royalty and mischief-making fairies caught in the wilds of the worldwide web. This innovative virtual production debuts May 21, 2020 and runs through June 4, 2021. Streaming tickets are on sale now with special pricing available for households, frontline and gig workers, and educators wishing to share the production with their students.

In A Midsummer Night's Dream - The Rewired Musical, the characters find themselves in the scariest place imaginable: the summer of 2020! A global pandemic has altered the way humans interact and social distancing forces young lovers to maintain their connection via high-tech devices. Teenage Hermia is embroiled in a love triangle between Twitch streamer Demetrius and studious Lysander, while lovelorn Helena takes to YouTube and Instagram to post songs and stories of her unrequited love. Trouble-making fairies begin hacking, catfishing and trolling the quartet while fairy royalty Titania and Oberon wage war on one another, causing global anarchy. Amidst all of this chaos, an intrepid community theatre troupe of essential workers tries to mount their humble Zoom play for the wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta. Remaining faithful to Shakespeare's timeless text, this reboot jumps the setting over 400 years and reminds us how the digital world can simultaneously pull us apart and bring us together.

Shoreline-based FUSE Theatre of CT, a new face on the Nutmeg State theatre scene, is providing two innovations with this virtual production: eye-popping digital scenic design and art by April Chateauneuf and ten brand new pop-rock songs by composer Lydia Arachne (of the band Semaphora) utilizing Shakespeare's text as lyrics. A Midsummer Night's Dream - The Rewired Musical is directed and co-adapted by Lara Morton and produced by Elizabeth Santaus. The professional design team is rounded out with contributions by Noah Golden (Co-Adaptor, Production Designer and Editor), Lyndsey Chance Simmons (choreography) and Jake Egan O'Hara and Nightwing Whitehead (costumes).

The cast includes a mix of youth and adults including Emma Blanchette of Orange, CT (Hermia), Sylvia Sonenstein of Madison, CT (Helena), Ben Reynolds of Northford, CT (Lysander), Kenny Pelphrey of Guilford, CT (Demetrius), Harper Hellerman of Hudson, MA (Puck), Noah Sonenstein of Madison, CT (Oberon), Norah Stotz of Madison, CT (Titania), Dean Paglino of Guilford, CT (Nick Bottom), Noah Enjalran of Madison, CT (Peter Quince), Theo Zucconi of Madison, CT (Francis Flute), Juna Banks of Needham, MA (Starveling), Julia Murphy of Stratford, CT (Snout), Brician Belizaire of Orange, CT (Snug), Martin Smith of New Haven, CT (Theseus), Barbara Hentschel of Madison, CT (Hippolyta), Noah Golden of Guilford, CT (Egeus), and Jake Egan O'Hara of Harvard, MA (Philostrate). The production is being filmed following all Connecticut COVID safety guidelines to ensure the health and wellbeing of cast and crew alike.

Ticket pricing for A Midsummer Night's Dream - The Rewired Musical is as follows: $15 for individuals; $25 for households of two or more; $10 for students, seniors, frontline workers, and gig workers. In addition, FUSE Theatre of CT will be offering a $50 package for educators that includes streaming rights for the production for English/LA, Theatre, Music and Art classes with accompanying digital education materials. Tickets can be acquired via the company's website, FuseTheatreCT.org.

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