The Old Globe and University Of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program Presents A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

The Old Globe today announced the cast and creative team of The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program's presentation of William Shakespeare's enchanting comedy classic A Midsummer Night's Dream.

The Globe has a longstanding tradition of showcasing its talented M.F.A. student actors in a fall Shakespeare production on its in-the-round stage, but with our theatre spaces darkened by the COVID-19 shutdown, we are proud to offer this production as a free virtual broadcast. Directed by Sam White, this online A Midsummer Night's Dream will be available to view from home just in time for Valentine's Day, beginning Friday, February 12 and running through Sunday, February 28, 2021, on The Old Globe's YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/TheOldGlobe) and on the Globe's website (www.TheOldGlobe.org).

The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program's students use all the tools of streaming theatre to bring the Bard's most popular comedy directly to your screen! Filled with music, humor, and magnificent poetry, this dream unfolds in an enchanted forest where fairies play tricks on unsuspecting lovers, and bumbling actors are transformed beyond their wildest imaginings. Add to this a secret potion that grants love at first sight, and anything can-and does-happen! Ingenious director Sam White transports the action to industrial America circa 1940, where the assembly line is as magical as the woods of Athens.

"In a time of enormous challenges, the Globe's artists have led the way with acts of great imagination and reinvention," said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. "Our student artists have done the same. It's always a privilege to showcase our actors-in-training as they encounter Shakespeare on the stage of the Globe's arena theatre. This year, they've brought their talents and full hearts to Shakespeare on our virtual platforms. Though an experiment in form, this Midsummer is a joyous take on the play, and the fresh and funny theatrical vision of Sam White works magic not only as she guides and stretches this exciting company, but also as she finds new currents of joy and emotion in one of the world's great plays."

"The program has shifted to online teaching and programing since March of 2020," said Jesse Perez, Director of Professional Training for The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program. "The faculty and students have successfully adjusted to a new way of theatre making. The culmination of the training can be seen in this production. We are glad to have Sam White, a leader in our industry, working with our students. Sam not only runs Shakespeare in Detroit, she's shaping the way for the next generation of theatre artists as she helps us redefine the classics for a contemporary audience. With the full support of The Old Globe, we are more than excited to share with you our fall Shakespeare production with this modern take on a gorgeous classic. Welcome to Athens Car Company in 1942."

The cast features Henian Boone (Lysander), Brett Cassidy (Starveling, Crankcase), Christopher Cruz (Oberon, Theseus), Lily Davis (Quince), Jacqui Dupré (Hermia), Savannah Faye (Snug, Clutch), Komi Gbeblewou (Snout, Piston Ring), Sarah Joyce (Titania, Hippolyta), Christopher M. Ramirez (Egeus), Jocelyn Renee (Bottom), Klarissa Marie Robles (Helena), Claire Simba (Puck, Philostrate), Nathan VanAtta (Flute, Steering Wheel), and Jonathan Aaron Wilson (Demetrius).

The creative team includes Mark Holmes and James Vásquez (Directors of Photography), Robin Sanford Roberts (Scenic Design), Elisa Benzoni (Costume Design), Nate Parde (Lighting Design), Melanie Chen Cole (Sound Design), Jan Gist (Vocal Coach), Abraham Stoll (Dramaturg), and Nicole Ries (Production Stage Manager).

The Old Globe will also make the online production available to schools in the San Diego area as well as in Detroit, Michigan, where director Sam White leads Shakespeare in Detroit.

Sam White (Director) is Founding Artistic Director at Shakespeare in Detroit. Her credits include the prestigious 2017 Paul Nicholson Arts Management Fellowship at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. She is also a member of the 2017 cohort for ArtEquity in Los Angeles. In addition, White served as the assistant director for Antoni Cimolino's 2018 production of The Tempest at Stratford Festival. She was also a part of the inaugural 2019 cohort for the Classical Directing Fellowship at The Old Globe. White served as the director of 2019's Twelfth Night at Utah Shakespeare Festival and completed the director's intensive at Yale University during its Summer Session that year. Next up, she will direct a virtual production of Romeo and Juliet at University of Michigan's Department of Theatre & Drama.

A joint venture of the Globe and USD, the Shiley Graduate Theatre Program nationally recruits seven students each year to participate in an intensive two-year course of graduate study in classical theatre. The Old Globe/University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program is supported by Darlene Marcos Shiley, with additional support from the Dorothy Brown Endowment Fund, Louis Yager Cantwell Foundation, and Globe Guilders. A Midsummer Night's Dream is supported in part by Maggie Acosta and Larry Shushan. Free student matinees at The Old Globe are supported by the Samuel I. and John H. Fox Foundation, Nordson Corporation Foundation, Patrons of the Prado, Pratt Memorial Fund, and SDG&E. Digital programs at The Old Globe are supported in part by the Peggy and Robert Matthews Foundation.

Financial support for The Old Globe is provided by The City of San Diego.

The Theodor and Audrey Geisel Fund provides leadership support for The Old Globe's year-round activities.

The program's graduates have made their mark in the profession. They have performed extensively on and Off Broadway, in regional theatres, in feature films, and on television. They have also founded successful theatre companies, written award-winning plays and screenplays, and performed around the world. Notable graduates include Jim Parsons, the Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning star of "The Big Bang Theory," seen in The Boys in the Band on Broadway, where his alumni colleagues include Brian Hutchison (The Boys in the Band), Henny Russell (Oslo, "Orange Is the New Black"), Shirine Babb (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Bedlam's The Crucible), and Amy Blackman (Angels in America, Ken Ludwig's Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood at Cleveland Play House, Skylight at Gulfshore Playhouse). Off Broadway appearances include Heather Raffo (playwright and star of Noura), Robbie Simpson (Afterglow, Deathtrap at Cape Playhouse), Nora Carroll (Measure for Measure with The Public Theater's Mobile Unit), Amara James Aja (The White Devil, Peter and the Starcatcher), Lucas Caleb Rooney (2016 Obie Award for Red Speedo), Daniel Petzold (Switzerland), Jonathan Spivey (Smart Blonde, Indecent at Denver Center, The-All-Night-Strut at Milwaukee Rep), and Adam Daveline (The Play That Goes Wrong). Regional theatres have seen Makha Mthembu (School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play at TheatreSquared), Grayson DeJesus (starring in The Glass Menagerie at Guthrie), Jake Millgard (multiple roles at The Old Globe), Stephen Hu (The Great Wave at Berkeley Rep), Nathan Whitmer (The Heiress at Arena Stage), Tyler Kent (When Blood Ran Red, New York readings of The Consul, the Tramp, and America's Sweetheart, Shakespeare and the Zombie Plague of 1590), Christopher Salazar and Mauricio Mendoza (The Floating Island Plays), Ally Carey (A Doll's House, Part 2 in Maine), Erin Roché (The Revolutionists at Playhouse on Park), and Makha Mthembu (her solo graduate thesis, No Child Left Behind, was a Producers Award winner, Hollywood Fringe Fest). On television, Matthew Bellows has a prominent recurring role on "New Amsterdam."

Note: All in-person Globe productions and events have been postponed until further notice; all dates are subject to change. In the meantime, the Globe recently announced a new lineup of programming, including free online work to continue reaching the San Diego community, and in-person shows when we are able to return to our theatres in Balboa Park. Programs include A Midsummer Night's Dream with The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program; Hamlet: On the Radio with KPBS; Barry Edelstein's newest series Thinking Shakespeare Live: Infinite Book, looking at how Shakespeare has made its way across four centuries to the scripts of actors today; Vicki and Carl Zeiger Virtual Insights Seminars, in-depth conversations with artists; a new season of On Book: The Old Globe's Shakespeare Reading Group, focusing on Romeo and Juliet and As You Like It; and The Old Globe Coloring Book. Current online arts engagement programs include AETV Theatre Shorts mini-lessons; Community Voices: Comedy Edition writing workshops; new middle school and high school Globe to Go focused resources, a part of School in the Park, which offers free downloadable K-5 resources for teaching; season 3 of Reflecting Shakespeare TV, a digital version of the transformative initiative offered at prisons; the exploration of modern poetry The Poet's Tree; Creative Youth Studio, a series of professional development opportunities for youth and high-school theatre enthusiasts; collaborative Mad Libs-style program Word Up!; the AXIS events Happy Birthday, Mr. Shakespeare! and Día de Muertos/Day of the Dead; and another year of the Pam Farr Summer Shakespeare Studio and Theatre Design Studio for high school students and recent graduates.

The Globe recently wrapped its 2021 Powers New Voices Festival, and it will once again host talented artists in the Classical Directing Fellowship.

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