Quintessence Theatre To Present A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM and ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA

Quintessence Theatre will present twelve actors performing multiple roles in a rotating schedule of A Midsummer Night's Dream and Antony & Cleopatra in a “Reckless Romance” repertory.

Both productions will be directed by Quintessence Producing Artistic Director, Alex Burns. The romantic comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream begins previews on February 27 and opens Saturday March 15 at 7:30PM. The near-mythological love story wrapped in political intrigue, Antony and Cleopatra begins previews on March 5 and opens Saturday, March 22 at 7:30PM.    

DeAnna Wright (Asolo and Creede Repertory Theatre) wowed Philadelphia with her award-winning performance of Sophia in Quintessence's Flyin West and will lead the ensemble as Cleoptatra and Oberon. Tim Dugan (Sarasota Shakespeare, Oldcastle Theatre, Arden Theater) who played the villainous DeGuiche in Quintessence's Cyrano de Bergerac is her paramour Mark Antony, and Peter Quince. They are joined by two of Philadelphia's finest and favorite actors Christopher Patrick Mullen (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Arden Theatre, People's Light, Orlando Shakespeare Theatre, Baltimore CenterStage) as Enobarbus and Titania, and Steven Anthony Wright (1812 Productions, Arden Theatre, Ego Po) who has stolen the spotlight in Quintessence's productions of Kiss Me Kate, Father Comes Home From the Wars, Parts 1, 2 and 3, The Cure at Troy, and Uncle Vanya, is Lepidus and Bottom.

“In celebration of our ‘resident playwright,' our 15th birthday, and the power of the classical actor, we return to repertory to present two of the most impactful works of western literature,” said Burns. “Both plays are about the power of love: one a romantic comedy, the other a political thriller and romantic tragedy. Both celebrate a set of lovers whose passions are so great that they chose to stand outside of their society's dictates, and risk all for love. The result is that their reckless romances change the course of the world forever.” Burns added, “With the future of our democracy in question, we look to the genius of Shakespeare to question how empires fall, the fallibility of fairy magic, and if winning the war is more important than following your heart.”

A Midsummer Night's Dream asks if love is for the foolish.  Four Athenian youths reject their parents' efforts to interfere in their romantic lives, and choose to run away instead of facing the love-limiting laws of the land. Lost in the surrounding wilderness, the lovers stumble upon a fairy kingdom in conflict; a spat between the fairy king and queen so great it threatens to alter the earth's orbit and suspend its seasons. A group of laborers, secretly rehearsing their play for a royal competition, also wander unwittingly into the middle of the fairy battle. Mayhem ensues, and Shakespeare confirms we can all prove an ass when in love.

Antony and Cleopatra poses the question, can passion topple an empire? Julius Caesar is assassinated, the rebellion foiled, and the Roman Empire is now ruled equally by three men, of which Mark Antony is the most powerful. Stationed in the east, Mark Antony summons Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt to demand submission, but instead, Antony is subdued by Cleopatra's beauty, wit and charm. Heart tied to Cleopatra, Antony neglects wife and empire, the man of war surrendering to a life of decadence, seduction and the pleasures of Egypt. Torn between desire and duty, will the eternity in their eyes and in their lips create a new global power, or will Antony and Cleopatra's passions lead to the fall of the empire.

In this thrilling feat of repertory theatre, 12 actors will tackle the two productions, playing multiple roles in each. The repertory ensemble also includes several performers returning to Quintessence: Ivana Thompson (Father Comes Home From the Wars, Parts 1, 2 and 3, The Owl and the Pussycat), Sarah Stryker (The Owl & The Pussycat), Gabriel Elmore (Major Barbara and No Exit, Cyrano de Bergerac), Lee Thomas Cortopassi (Macbeth, Cyrano de Bergerac, Major Barbara) and Zachary Valdez (Macbeth). New to Quintessence are Rafi Mills, Tyler S. Elliot and Imani Lee Williams.

Quintessence Founder and Producing Artistic Director Burns directs and designs the sets for the repertory. John Burkland returns to design the lights, with costume design by Summer Lee Jack for A Midsummer Night's Dream and Sydney Dufka for Antony and Cleopatra. Sean Bradley, the magician behind the fights for last season's Macbeth, returns as Fight Director, and Bess Roen is the Director of Intimacy. The production stage manager is Wilhelm Peters. A Midsummer Night's Dream features original songs by noted Philadelphia musician David Cope. 

Events for both shows include Post-show Guests, Meet-the-Cast, Behind-the-Scenes Preview, Queer Affinity Night, Young Artists Night, and Industry Night. Repertory ticket bundles will be available. Antony and Cleopatra and A Midsummer Night's Dream are part of the 8th Annual Philadelphia Theatre Week, April 3-13. 

The full repertory schedule runs February 27-April 27. All performances take place at the historic Sedgwick Theater, located at 7137 Germantown Ave. Tickets start at $35 and multiple discounts are available online or by calling the Box Office at 215-987-4450. Group Sales are available. Premium seats are available starting at $45.  Pay-What-You-Can dates are February 27th and March 5th. Tickets, discount, event details and information are available at www.QTGREP.org. 

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