Shakespeare-in-the-Park to Present A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM this Summer

The Conseil des arts de Montréal en tournée and Repercussion Theatre are pleased to announce the 2013 Shakespeare-in-the-Park (SITP) tour of A Midsummer Night's Dream, beginning July 7th and continuing through August 4th, 2013. In addition to the various Montreal and surrounding-area parks, SITP will visit Hemmingford and Morin Heights and for the first time, Reford Gardens in Grand-Métis and Douglass Beach (Plage de Ville de Lac Brome) in Knowlton.

This is SITP's 25th anniversary and to celebrate, Artistic Director Paul Hopkins thought it apropos to mount the company's debut selection. Over 800 people attended that production in 1988, a solid start for a novice company, but since then over 10,000 people each year enjoy this outdoor tradition. Company founder, Cas Anvar, said, "Audiences have been so consistent over the years. It is now part of the culture. Kids have literally grown up with the Shakespeare-in- the-Park in Montreal. That's very satisfying!" Hopkins added that, "The tradition carries on, as those kids are now bringing their children. I'm very proud to be a part of that."

A Starry Night Celebration, a performance and anniversary bash at the top of Mount Royal, will be held on Thursday, July 11th. The pre-show festivities begin behind the Chalet du Mont-Royal at 6:30pm with music and song performed by SITP alumni, face painting and special guests. Anvar plans to attend and directors, actors, designers, technicians, stagehands and volunteers that helped to make the company a Montreal cultural landmark, are invited. The performance takes place at 7:30pm with an exclusive after-party at 10:00pm at McGill's Thomson House, just south of Mount Royal at 3650 McTavish. Everyone is welcome to attend the pre-show and performance for FREE or GIVE-WHAT-YOU-CAN. To help fundraising efforts, a special 'Star Treatment Picnic Package' is also available, with a tax receipt, which includes a picnic, reserved seating, plus the after-party. For more information, call 514-931-2644 or visit parkshakespeare.com

A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of William Shakespeare's most beloved plays with something for everyone: spooky woods, supernatural beings, mistaken identities, shape shifting, love and laughter, music, magic and mayhem, not to mention hardworking men in makeup and edge-of-your-seat tension as the bonds between lovers and friends are pushed to the limit.

SITP alumnus, Amanda Kellock, returns to direct this family favourite, a play she is very familiar with, having played Helena twice for SITP in 2004 and 2005. She is not alone. Several alumni, many of whom received their first professional break with the outdoor tour, return to their roots, adding to the celebratory atmosphere and filling important roles as mentors to the younger cast members. Anvar accurately reflects the sentiment of many professionals who got their start with SITP saying, "I can honestly say that much of my success can be attributed to what I learned back then. One of the most amazing things when I look back on it is how many of Montreal's (and Canada's) greatest talents have gone through Repercussion Theatre. A huge part of the success goes out to all those incredible artists and production people who literally spun gold out of a dream we had."

Kellock is joined by Black Theatre Workshop's Artistic Director, Quincy Armorer, as Oberon/Theseus, whose first encounter with SITP was as Demetrius in the 1995 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Daniel Brochu, playing Puck this year, first tread the SITP boards in 1990 between his second and third year theatre studies, as both Malcolm in Macbeth and one of the Dromios in The Comedy of Errors. Danielle Desormeaux as this season's Quince and Egeus, first affiliated with SITP as Alonza/Trincula in the bilingual production of The Tempest/La Tempête in 2008. Al Goulem, cast this year as the inimitable Bottom, first acted for the company as Antipholus in The Comedy of Errors and MacDuff in Macbeth (1990), returned the following season to act in The Tempest and Much Ado About Nothing and subsequently directed The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) in 2002 and co-wrote and directed The Lost Play in 2003. Perennial crowd-pleaser, Catherine Lemieux, who will play Snug in this production, was in the final weeks of the Dawson Dome Theatre program when she was asked to play Quince in the 1998 production of Dream as well as one of the witches in Macbeth and Julie Tamiko Manning, wearing two hats this year as Titania/Hippolyta, played Peter/Balthazar in the 1993 school tour of Romeo and Juliet along with budding actor, Paul Hopkins, in the male lead.

Debuting with SITP and rounding out the cast are Trevor Barrette as Flute, last seen as Steven Truscott in Centaur Theatre's main stage production of Innocence Lost: A Play About Steven Truscott, Hayley Kezber as Helena, Charlotte Rogers as Hermia, Jonathan Silver as Demetrius and Aris Tyros as Lysander.

The set design is by Amy Keith assisted by Isabelle Guichard and Anastasia Schneider, with costumes by Marija Djordjevic, assisted by Danielle Fagan, lighting design by Ana Cappelluto, and sound by Kristie Ibrahim. Danielle Skene stage manages with assistance from Allison Kelly and Chloe Ekker.

Throughout the summer, a picnic-basket-and-chair combo is available for a donation of $100 for two people and $150 for four, otherwise it's the customary 'FREE or GIVE-WHAT-YOU-CAN' policy. Groups of 10 or more are advised to call to reserve at 514-931-2644. For more info, visit Repercussion Theatre's web site at www.parkshakespeare.com or join the Shakespeare-in-the- Park Facebook Event page at https://www.facebook.com/events/375815462534958/?fref=ts. For location updates in case of rain, call 514-916-PARK (7275).

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