TOWNSHEND — The Leland & Gray Players close their 18th season with Shakespeare's rollicking romantic comedy “A Midsummer Night's Dream” May 15-17 at Leland & Gray Union Middle and High School's Dutton Gymnasium.
The Arden Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream describes the play as featuring three plots connected by a celebration of the wedding of Theseus of Athens and the Amazon queen Hippolyta, set simultaneously in the woodland and in the realm of Fairyland under the light of the moon.
The production promises belly laughs, spectral surprises, and poignant moments of ill-fired romance. Taking time with the text, the players have uncovered marvelous humor, subtle innuendo, and opportunities for high physicality.
The players' production is set in the early 19th century, the Romantic period, and incidental music is drawn from Playford's 17th century dances as arranged by Leland & Gray music faculty Tom Walters and production assistant director Addie Mahdavi '14.
Instrumentalists include Carl Judd-Wright '15, Fraser Query '14, Ethan Abbott '19, Kayla Williams '14, Genevieve Darling '14, and Sam Dutton '15, as well as Walters and Mahdavi.
The cast of primarily middle and high school students includes Alexa Litchfield as Puck, Zoe Soule as Hermia, Madison Cannella as Helena, Nathaniel van Osdol as Lysander, Tino Benson as Demetrius, Gabrel Vanni-Phillips as Oberon, Nicole Winot as Titania, Jesse Cannella as Bottom, Sean Kiziltan as Theseus, Mehram Zain as Hippolyta, Patrick Hauer as Egeus, Evan Reilly as Philostrate, and Aiden McCormick as Theseus' attendant.
“Mechanicals” are Rebekah Winot, Adam Culver, Sam Thibault, Arik Clark, and Patrick Hauer; sprites Adam Culver and Vinnie Ferrizzi are joined by Christian Cannella, Nicolas Tolbert, and Andrew Tolbert from Jamaica Elementary School.
The cast is rounded out by fairies played and sung by Julia Barton, Oly Gurik, Fairen Stark, Sarah Anderson, Mehram Zain, Natalie Cullen, Yachne Nilges, and Rebekah Winot, and, from Newbrook Elementary School, Sylvia Stark and Veronica Stevens.
Tino Benson is graphic and costume designer; Madison Cannella is scene designer; Grant Cullen and Sage Hall run sound; Nate Laning and Stephen Scott run lights with Nastia Stevens, Kenny Cashman, and Anna-Cate Harrison.
Oly Gurik has created signage. Parent Dale Stevens is technical assistant.
Many other adults have helped, such as Tim Soule, Rob Cramp, Mitch Cashman, Kim Soule, Bonnie Cramp, Kristina Barker, Cheryl Cullen, and Vera Gervais.
Running crew captain is Genevieve Darling, with Olivia Reilly, Jacob Bush, Kayla Williams, Fraser Query, and Rachel Spence as crew. Costumier and production assistant is Abby Wicker '02; assistant director is Addie Mahdavi.