Season 2004

A Midsummer Night's Dream
by William Shakespeare
Directed by George M. Roesler

June 26 and 27, July 3, 16, 24 and August 1

A dream world outside Athens - for lovers, fairies and mechanicals, A Midsummer Night’s Dream conjures the images of magic and illusion blurring the border between dreams and reality, between the fairy-world and that of the mortals. Interwoven are the stories of three groups of characters: The Mortals: Theseus, Hippolyta, Egeus and the young lovers- Hermia, Lysander, Helena and Demetrius; Bottom and the Mechanicals: a group of amateur actors hoping to be good enough to play the Palace; and The Fairies: Oberon, Titania, Puck and friends. As the plot unfolds, the characters’ confrontations reverberate in the misty, sometimes nightmarish confusion triggered by the fairies in the forest and we come to realize that the supernatural beings are as human as the humans.

Romeo and Juliet
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Stuart Naber

July 2, 4, 10, 18, 23 and 31

In just an instant— with a word, a touch, a look — Romeo can fall in love with his Juliet. But the enmity between their families makes theirs a forbidden love; and although the rough passion of youth can bring forth love and desire, it may also breed discord and strife. In a heated exchange, Romeo is compelled to kill Juliet's kinsman, and romance turns to tragedy in this classic tale of star-crossed lovers.

Henry VIII
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Jeffrey Altier

July 9, 11, 17, 25 and 30

Considered by some to be the last work of Shakespeare, Henry VIII is a large-scale play full of the pageantry of court life and rife with political intrigue. It is the story of several individuals striving to be "the power behind the throne" - the Machiavellian Cardinal Wolsey, the regal Queen Katharine and the ambitious Buckingham, among others. Their political maneuverings, as well as King Henry’s growing attraction to Anne Boleyn form the backbone of this epic tale. This is not the Charles Laughton caricature of Henry VIII we have seen on film, but is a full, dynamic portrait of one of England’s most well known Monarchs and the intrigue surrounding his court.