Bergen County Players to Present A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, 1/25-26

Have you ever wanted to see Shakespeare without having to sit through three or four long acts? Or do you just love Shakespeare whenever and wherever you can see it? Bergen County Players has the answer to your dreams - A Midsummer Night's Dream, that is. Performed at the Little Firehouse Theatre in Oradell, showtimes are Saturday, January 25, 2:00 p.m. and Sunday, January 26, 7:00 p.m. All tickets are $10.00 and can be purchased online at www.bcplayers.org, by telephone at 201-261-4200 or by visiting the box office at 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell during regular box office hours.

Now, you can experience one of the Bard's most popular comedies as you've never seen it before. Set in the modern day, this unique production of A Midsummer Night's Dream combines the Bard's witty dialogue with contemporary music and dance - presented in less than 90 minutes.

A Midsummer Night's Dream follows the merry adventures of fairy royalty Oberon and Titania and their fairy entourages, four star-crossed lovers, and a lovable group of "rude mechanicals" whose leader is transformed into a donkey. Midsummer is all about the world's favorite pastime, the magic of falling in love. But as Puck, a mischievous fairy at the center of the action, knows, falling in love can make fools of us all.

This lively production of A Midsummer Night's Dream is directed by long-time BCP member Ellyn Essig of Rivervale who trained as an actor at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in Hollywood, CA and the Action Theatre Conservatory in Clifton, NJ. She is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and has appeared in theatrical productions in New York, New Jersey and California.

"This is not your typical Shakespeare," says Ms. Essig. "My goal is to capture the fun, joy and magic that is at the heart of this play and to give it a distinctively contemporary spin with the use of modern music and dance. I am especially proud of the extraordinary performances given by the 21 cast members who range in age from the very young to the well-seasoned."

The cast of A Midsummer Night's Dream includes: Jillian Santos (River Edge) as Puck, John Ade (New City, NY) as Oberon/Theseus, Joanne Guarnaccia (Englewood Cliffs) as Titania/Hippolyta, Filipe Valente (Bergenfield) as Lysander, Chris Robertson (Clifton) as Demetrius, Nicole Lopez-Isa (Saddle Brook) as Hermia, Abby Jackson as Helena, Bill Porterfield (Ridgewood) as Egeus/Snug, Larry Kaiser (Fair Lawn) as Nick Bottom, Staci Beth Block (Hackensack) as Paula Quince, Nick Pascarella (Hohokus) as Francis Flute, Kathleen Ruland (Lodi) as Robin Starveling, Andrew Reyes (Bogota) as Tom Snout/Philostrate, and Olivia Arrigoitia (Dumont) as Moth/Fairy 1. In addition, Janelle Emmolo (Wyckoff), Ava Hyde (Oradell), Brooke Stewart (River Edge), Karina Folwarski (Hillsdale), Phylicia Fodor (Westwood), Matthew Marinich (Closter), and Gabriella Marinich (Closter) will portray Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Mustardseed and related fairies.

The production team includes: Ellyn Essig (Director), Rhea Smith (Producer/Program Bios), Leslie Cohn (Stage Manager), Michael Smith (Set Construction), Gerard Bourcier (Lighting Design), Rick Essig (Sound Design), Teri Noel (Sound Operation), Howard Kerner (Light Operation), Kathleen Ruland (Assistant to the Director), Alan Kellett (Publicity), Marisa Dolkart/Pat Bain (Costumes), Eileen Winkler
Choreography), Michael Smith (Photography), Iris Weinhouse (Makeup),
Adel-Arnold/Chris Nelson (Program Notes), and Andrea Pieper
Member-at-Large).

TICKET AND SCHEDULE INFORMATION
• Performances for A Midsummer Night's Dream take place at The Little Firehouse Theatre at 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell, home to the Bergen County Players since 1949. Performance times are Saturday, January 25, 2:00 p.m. and Sunday, January 26, 7:00 p.m.
• Tickets are $10.00 and can be purchased online at bcplayers.org., by telephone at 201-261-4200, or by visiting the box office at 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell during regular box office hours. Visa, MasterCard and American Express are accepted.
• Those interested in Group Sales of 20 or more tickets can call 201-261-4200, Ext. 6.
• Parking is free at the Park Avenue Municipal lot, across the street, half block north of the theater.

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