You still have a chance to come and see The Oswego Players Spring production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “The Arkansaw Bear.” The first weekend of performance brought new audience members to the Little Theatre on the Water. This will be the first time in the 87-year history of the Oswego Players that a Shakespeare play will be produced.
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is one of Shakespeare’s most popular and widely performed plays. It is set in Athens and consists of numerous subplots that revolve around the marriage of King Theseus and Queen Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict among four teenage Athenian lovers. Another follows a group of six amateur actors rehearsing the play they are to perform before the wedding. Both groups find themselves in a forest inhabited by fairies who manipulate them as part of their own domestic intrigue.
This production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, under the direction of Norman Berlin III, has a cast of over 20 actors, and is full of new, wonderful local talent, with ages ranging from eight to over fifty. The cast includes the magnificent talents of: Chloe Hill as Puck, Norman Berlin as Oberon, Sarah Izzo as Titania, Andrea Brizzi as Lysander, Nolan Callahan as Demetrius, Cindy Robbins as Hermia, Shy Sims as Helena, Perci Mehling as Nick Bottom, Danielle Funiciello as Theseus, Christina Rogers as Hippolyta, Helena Treelins as Egeus, Camila Rodriguez as Peter Quince, Gus McDonald as Francis Flute, Charlie Thompson as Robin Starveling, Adrianna McGowan as Tom Snout, Ash Laird as Sung, Mallory Gordon as Fern, Alex Wallace as Philostrate, Averyanna Wilson as Peaseblossom, Helen McDonald as Mustardseed and Abraham Patrick as Moth.
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream “is being presented along with a remount of last year’s sellout smash hit, “The Arkansaw Bear”, by Aurand Harris. “The Arkansaw Bear” is a moving 45-minute fantasy/drama in which a young girl must learn to deal with loss and how to let go of someone she loves. Director Norman Berlin has chosen to pair the two works because of their similar fantastical elements.
Saddened and bewildered at her grandfather’s approaching death, Tish runs to her “special tree.” There, in a world of fantasy provided by her wish on a star, she meets The World’s Greatest Dancing Bear. She is old, like her grandfather, and is running away. In trying to help the Bear, Tish begins to understand the meaning of both life and death, which helps her to cope with her own sadness.
“The Arkansaw Bear” is an important work by America’s foremost playwright for young audiences, that blends realism and fantasy, pathos and humor. It is delightfully theatrical, with music, magic, and dance, and has been enthusiastically applauded by children and family audiences alike. The cast features the talents of: Nina King as Tish, Gideon Strong as Star Bright, Olive O’Connor as the Mime, Stephanie Johnson as the World’s Greatest Dancing Bear, Richard Carpenter as Great Ringmaster, Mallory Gordon as Little Bear, Christina Rodgers as Mother and Inez Manor Parker in a special appearance as Aunt Ellen.
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “The Arkansaw Bear” will be presented together at Marion Brown Theater at 7:30 p.m. on May 2nd and 2:00 p.m. matinees on May 3rd and 4th. Tickets are $17 for adults, $13 for seniors and $12 for students. Patrons are highly encouraged to order tickets now at oswegoplayers.org/productions or by calling the theatre’s box office at (315) 343-5138.
“The Arkansaw Bear” is presented by special arrangement with The Dramatic Publishing Company of Woodstock, Illinois.
This project is made possible through the CNY Arts Grants for Regional Arts and Cultural Engagement regrant program thanks to a New York State Senate Initiative supported by the NYS Legislature, the Office of the Governor and administered by the New York State Council on the Arts.