Mac Blais as Lysander, Katie Mitchell as Helena, Alex Roberts as Puck & Sterling Shaw as Demetrius.
(CINCINNATI, Feb. 11, 2015) – Xavier University Theatre continues its 2014-15 season with William Shakespeare’s A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM. Performances will take place in Xavier’s Gallagher Student Center Theater on Feb. 19-21 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 22 at 2:00 p.m.
Hermia loves Lysander. But Demetrius loves Hermia. And Helena — Hermia’s best friend — is head over heels for Demetrius. In order to get what they want, they all run away to the woods where these criss-crossed lovers become entangled with two groups of feuding fairies and a troupe of fumbling actors. Needless to say, chaos ensues until all is set right in the morning! A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM is a raucous comedy about love and obsession, jealousy and magic, set in an enchanted forest filled with Shakespeare’s most popular and comedic characters.
The cast for A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM includes Ellen Godbey (Hermia), a junior music education and theatre double major from Cincinnati, Ohio; Katie Mitchell (Helena), a sophomore theatre major from Cincinnati, Ohio; Mac Blais (Lysander), a sophomore theatre major from Lancaster, Ohio; and Alex Roberts (Puck), a sophomore theatre education major from Cincinnati, Ohio.
Jeremy Dubin, an Artistic Associate and 15-year ensemble member with The Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, will make his Xavier University Theatre directing debut with A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM. His other directing credits include, Romeo & Juliet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Titus Andronicus, The Merchant of Venice, and Every Christmas Story Ever Told. Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Evansville and his master’s from The Ohio State University.
“Bringing in Jeremy Dubin to work with our students in the Xavier Theatre Department is another example of our program’s commitment to professional collaboration,” said Stephen Skiles, director of Xavier University Theatre. “We couldn’t be more excited about him directing our production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM. He is not only a talented actor and director, but he is incredibly skilled as a teacher, which makes him an ideal candidate to work with our students. He has brought a fresh, contemporary idea to the play that I think will be thrilling to audiences, and the students working on the show are ecstatic to get to work with him.”
For his part, Dubin is equally excited to be working on the project. “Let me say what an edifying experience this has been thus far. I’m really thankful to Stephen for bringing me in. I’ve fallen in love with these kids- they’re smart, engaged, endlessly curious and enthusiastic. It’s a really invigorating environment to get to play in.”
Other members of the creative team for A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM include Dave Zlatic (set design), Alice Trent (light design), and Katie Rossman (costume design). The stage manager is Alana Yurczyk.
Tickets for A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM are available now through the Xavier University Theatre Box Office. Tickets are $17 for adults and $12 for students, as well as Xavier faculty and staff. To purchase tickets, visit www.xavier.edu/theatre or call 513-745-3939.
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 