Shakespeare Theatre Company to Celebrate Free For All's 25th Anniversary This Fall

One of the capital's most beloved annual traditions, the Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) Free For All, and one of William Shakespeare's most beloved plays, A Midsummer Night's Dream, are coming together for a major milestone: Free For All's 25th anniversary. Ethan McSweeny directs a revival of his 2012-2013 STC production, which will run September 1-13 at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW).

Love, magic and wonder fill the air in McSweeny's stunning "ghost light" production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, set in the ruins of an abandoned theatre. Hailed for providing "a guarantee of giddy-ever-after" (The Washington Post), "a feast for the senses" (DC Theatre Scene) and "a thoughtful...risky take on a familiar classic" (Washingtonian), the production creates a fantastical, unforgettable realm where reality and the supernatural intersect as four mismatched lovers flee to the forest and find their destinies forever changed.

"This interpretation of A Midsummer Night's Dream is such a love letter to Shakespeare, and to the art form and physical environment of theatre itself. It's a perfect match for Free For All's 25th anniversary celebration," says STC Artistic Director Michael Kahn, who worked with Founding Chairman R. Robert Linowes to inaugurate the tradition of free Shakespeare in D.C. a quarter-century ago. Since the first Free For All in 1991-Kahn's production of The Merry Wives of Windsor-the initiative has reached more than 665,000 theatregoers.

"Working on the 25th anniversary of Free For All is especially meaningful to me, as I was there for the very first one," says McSweeny. "In fact, you could even say it was the beginning of my career, because it was my very first directing internship. I am honored to have A Midsummer Night's Dream be this year's Free For All, and I am thrilled to revisit the play in a production that was magical to create the first time around. I am looking forward to welcoming both new and returning actors and audiences to the wonder of this play."

A Midsummer Night's Dream is presented by Apartments.com, with leadership support from Ameriprise Financial, CoStar Group Inc., The Dow Chemical Company, Erkiletian, The Free For All Community Partners, Friends of Free For All, Philip L. Graham Fund and Westfield. Exclusive media support provided by The Washington Post. Additional support provided by The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation. In-kind support provided by Jaleo, Red Velvet Cupcakery and Teaism.

For more information on the Free For All production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, call the Box Office at 202.547.1122 or visit ShakespeareTheatre.org.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM CAST

STC Affiliated Artist Adam Green, Helen Hayes Award-nominated for his performance as Philostrate/Puck in the 2012-2013 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, returns for this year's Free For All. He has also appeared in the Company's productions of All's Well That Ends Well (mainstage and Free For All), The Two Gentlemen of Verona and The Liar (Helen Hayes nomination, Emery Battis Award for Acting Excellence). In New York, Green has performed at Pearl Theatre, Red Bull Theatre, Second Stage Theatre, Cherry Lane Theatre, Lion Theatre, Theater at St. Clement's, New York City Opera, 59e59, Theatre for the New City and Walkerspace. His regional credits include roles at Arena Stage, McCarter Theatre, Hartford Stage, Alley Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse (Peter in Peter and the Starcatchers), Geva Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Alliance Theatre and Shakespeare on the Sound.

Sara Topham returns, too, as Hippolyta/Titania. She has performed on Broadway as Gwendolen in Roundabout Theatre Company's production of The Importance of Being Earnest, and has been seen onstage at the Old Globe (Twelfth Night), McCarter Theatre (Travesties) and Hartford Stage (The Tempest, Hedda Gabler). Her extensive international credits include Mrs. Van Buren in the U.K. premiere of Intimate Apparel in London.

New to the Free For All production are Dion Johnstone as Theseus/Oberon and Tom Alan Robbins as Nick Bottom.

Johnstone portrayed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Katori Hall's The Mountaintop at Vancouver's Arts Club Theatre, and he has nine seasons to his credit with the Stratford Festival, where his roles have included Othello in Othello, Caliban in The Tempest and Edmund in King Lear. He is also a busy film and television actor who has been seen in Underground Railroad: The William Still Story (PBS) and The X-Files: I Want to Believe, and he is featured in the new UPtv series Ties That Bind.

Robbins has appeared on Broadway in The Lion King (Pumbaa), Is He Dead?, Sunset Boulevard, Jerome Robbins' Broadway, The Threepenny Opera, Once Upon a Mattress and Newsies. His Off-Broadway credits include Brooklynite, On the Verge, Isn't It Romantic, The Rise and Rise of Daniel Rocket, The Cradle Will Rock, and Public Theater productions of Henry V and King Lear. Robbins has also toured as Monsieur Thénardier in LES MISERABLES, and his regional credits include Charlie in the world premiere of The Whale at the Denver Center Theatre Company.

Other returning cast members include Nancy Anderson (First Fairy), Maxwell Balay (Changeling Child), Christopher Bloch (Robin Starveling), Jacqui Jarrold (Ensemble), Herschel Sparber (Tom Snout), Jessica Thorne (Ensemble) and Ted van Griethuysen (Peter Quince). They are joined by Laura Artesi (Ensemble), Freddie Bennett (Ensemble), Warren Burns (Changeling Child), Avery Clark (Francis Flute), Ross Destiche (Ensemble), Chasten Harmon (Hermia), Ralph Adriel Johnson (Demetrius), Gregory Linington (Egeus), Hugh Nees (Snug the Joiner), Julia Ogilvie (Helena), Taylor Robinson (Ensemble), Ryan Sellers (Ensemble) and Stephen Stocking (Lysander).

THE DIRECTOR

Affiliated Artist Ethan McSweeny has directed STC productions of The Tempest, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, The Merchant of Venice, Ion, Major Barbara and The Persians, as well as the Harman Center Opening Gala, and served as Associate Director from 1993 to 1997. His Broadway credits include John Grisham's A Time to Kill and Gore Vidal's The Best Man (Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards, Tony Award nomination), and his Off-Broadway credits include John Logan's Never the Sinner (Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards), 100 Saints You Should Know (Top Ten: Entertainment Weekly and Time Out magazines), 1001 (Top Ten: Time Out), Rx (world premiere), Sabina, and The Persians for the National Actors Theatre. McSweeny has worked abroad at Dublin's Gate Theatre and the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and at regional theatres throughout the United States including Arena Stage, Signature Theatre, Center Stage, the Guthrie Theater, the Goodman, the Old Globe, Denver Center Theatre Company and South Coast Repertory, among others. He has served as Co-Artistic Director of Chautauqua Theater Company, Associate Director of the National Actors Theatre, Resident Director at New Dramatists and Associate Artistic Director of the George Street Playhouse. McSweeny is a member of the Executive Board of SDC, the national labor union for directors and choreographers.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM DESIGNERS AND ARTISTIC TEAM

The Free For All production of A Midsummer Night's Dream showcases the work of designers from the 2012-2013 production, including Scenic Designer Lee Savage, Costume Designer Jennifer Moeller, Lighting Designer Tyler Micoleau (lighting adapted by Jason Arnold), Original Music/Sound Designer Fitz Patton, and Wig and Makeup Designer Leah J. Loukas.

The artistic team includes Choreographer Peter Pucci (choreography re-created by Music Vocal Coach Nancy Anderson), Fight Director Brad Waller, Resident Casting Director Carter C. Wooddell (original New York casting by Binder Casting/Jay Binder, CSA/Jack Bowdan, CSA), Voice and Text Coach Ellen O'Brien, Literary Manager/Dramaturg Drew Lichtenberg, Assistant Director Jenny Lord, Production Stage Manager Joseph Smelser, Assistant Stage Manager Robyn M. Zalewski and Production Assistants Rebecca Shipman and Maria Tejada.

Artists and dates are subject to change.

HOW TO GET FREE FOR ALL TICKETS

Tickets for each performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream will be made available to the public on the day of the show in person at Sidney Harman Hall as well as through an online lottery system. Seating is general admission. Doors open a half-hour before the start of the show.

ONLINE TICKET LOTTERY:
For each performance, a select number of seats are given away to lottery winners. The lotteries for each performance will be open from 12:01 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the day prior to an evening performance and two days prior to a matinee performance. For example, anytime after midnight and before 8 p.m. on Thursday, patrons can enter the lottery for both the Friday evening performance and the Saturday matinee performance.

Winners will be chosen at random. The lottery entry time has no bearing on chances of winning. Only one entry per account will be considered for the drawing. All entrants will receive an email after 8 p.m. the night before the performance.

TICKET LINE:
Every day STC will give away a minimum of 100 tickets to the public in the ticket line at Sidney Harman Hall beginning approximately two (2) hours prior to curtain. The limit is two (2) tickets per person.

SUBSCRIBE OR DONATE:
All 2015-2016 season ticket holders can reserve seats in advance. Each subscriber can reserve two (2) Free For All tickets for every subscription seat they hold. Reservations must be made by August 28. Available reservations for subscribers are limited per day.

Gifts starting at $200 allow Friends of Free For All to secure reserved seating in advance, receive program recognition and access the Patron's Lounge, which includes complimentary refreshments.

JOIN THE #FFA25 CONVERSATION:
Like STC on Facebook (Facebook.com/ShakespeareinDC) and follow @ShakespeareinDC on Twitter and Instagram for a chance to secure VIP seating for Free For All.

THE FREE FOR ALL 25TH ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL

STC will host a special celebration of Free For All's 25th anniversary at Sidney Harman Hall on Saturday, September 12, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The festival will provide an insider's look at the theatre and access to the artists who work behind the scenes to create STC's productions. This family-friendly event will include backstage tours, special performances, open theatre classes, demonstrations of stage effects and more.

FREE FOR ALL, ALL YEAR LONG

Throughout the 2015-2016 season, STC will continue its FREE WILL program, which provides 1,000 tickets per production to distribute free of charge through the Company's Box Office and community partners. Learn more about this accessibility-expanding initiative, now in its second season, at ShakespeareTheatre.org/info/free-will.

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