Chattanooga Shakespeare will present “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” but due to the cold temperatures has retitled it, “A Midwinter Night’s Dream.”
“I honestly do not think Shakespeare would mind a bit,” says Shakespeare Chattanooga producing director Janis Hashe, who is directing the reading. “This play is still funny after more than 400 years. It’s director-proof, really.”
The staged readings at Grace Episcopal Church will feature another unusual aspect: two of the scenes, the “Lovers’ Fight” and the “Play-Within-A-Play” will be fully staged without scripts, while the rest of the play will be a conventional reading.
“I’ve actually never seen this done, though there is nothing new under the sun,” says Ms. Hashe. “It’s a bit of an experiment, but I think the audience will enjoy it.”
The cast of “Midwinter” features some long-time Shakespeare Chattanooga participants, including Steven Disbrow as Nick Bottom, Stephanie Smith as Puck, Bob Roza as Egeus/Peter Quince, Dakota Brown as Flute/Peaseblossom, E’tienne Easley as Hippolyta/Titania, Ward Fleissner as Snug/Mustardseed and Paula Berard as Starveling/Moth. Daniel Pound as Theseus/Oberon and Robbye Lewis as Philostrate have done several SC projects. New to the company are Megan Ariel Clark as Helena, Shellyta Clark as Hermia, Tyler Buckingham as Demetrius, Ryne Williams as Lysander and Joel Rievley as Snout/Cobweb.
The readings of “A Midwinter Night’s Dream” will be held at Grace Episcopal Church, 20 Belvoir Ave., on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 26, at 2:30 p.m. The cost is $5.
For more information, contact Ms. Hashe at 622-2862.