On hold since the start of the pandemic, live theater returns to George C. Marshall High School with the Statesmen Theatre’s updated take on one of William Shakespeare’s most popular comedies, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” running Nov. 11-13 at the school.
“The pandemic shut down in-person performances for almost two tough years,” Marshall theater director Bernie DeLeo said. “After such a grim time, my primary goal this fall was to get back on stage with something FUN that the student-actors, crew and audience members would all have a good time experiencing.”
In the play, four young lovers become intertwined in a quarrel with fairies of the forest. Meddling, mischievousness and magical entanglements ensue, creating romantic and comedic chaos for all. Add into the mix some bumbling actors, a donkey head and a mangled play-within-a-play.
“Rehearsals have certainly been a gas, and it’s been rewarding seeing students rediscover their creative passions – and just plain laugh with their friends again after school,” DeLeo said.
While Shakespeare’s original takes place in ancient Athens (Greece), this production has been updated to Athens (Georgia) in the early 1980s, a creative hotbed which birthed the modern alt-rock music scene (spawning bands such as R.E.M. and the B-52s), a time and place that multiple music and cultural critics refer to as “magical.”
Performances will be 7:30 p.m. each night, with the box office opening at 6 p.m. Running time is approximately two hours.
The entrance to the theater is Door 13, at the right of the building. Masks are required while in the school, including during the performance.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students, and can be purchased online at www.statesmentheatre.com or the box office before each performance.
Marshall thespians also plan to put on a one-act festival in January and the children’s musical “A Year with Frog and Toad” in April.