A Midsummer Night's Dream

2019 Past Production — See our 2020 Season!

reviews

“Cal Shakes makes a playground of ‘Midsummer’”

— Lily Janiak, San Francisco Chronicle

“…gleefully rambunctious.”

— Karen d'Souza, Bay Area News Group

“[This] funny interpretation of the Dream should not be missed.”

— Sophie Braccini, Lamorinda Weekly

RUN TIME: Approx. 2 hours, 30 minutes
INTERMISSION: One 15 minute
GENRE: Comedy, Whimsical, Fantasy, Family-friendly
GROVE TALKS: 45 mins pre-show
WARNINGS: Swearing, sexual themes, fog, strobe effects, hunting rifles onstage, offstage gunshot cues

Shakespeare's delightfully charming comedy of desire.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream
by William Shakespeare
directed by Tyne Rafaeli
May 22 – June 16

Four lovers escape into the woods and find themselves in a world turned upside down. When it comes to love, what’s fantasy and what’s reality? Tricks abound and wires cross as we all seek escape from (or surrender to) the clutches of love.

cast

Anthony Fusco

Egeus, Quince, ensemble. Anthony Fusco has played major roles at Cal Shakes in You Never Can Tell, Much Ado About Nothing, Pygmalion, Blithe Spirit, Candida, King Lear, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Tempest, and Arms and the Man, among others. He’s an Associate Artist with A.C.T. in San Francisco, appearing in more than 40 productions there. www.anthonyfusco.actor

Jerrie Johnson

Titania, Hippolyta, ensemble. Jerrie Johnson is excited to be making her Cal Shakes debut. Johnson is a recent graduate of A.C.T., where she has been seen as Belle in A Christmas Carol on the Geary, Olga in Three Sisters at the Strand, The Slave Leader in The Bacchae of Euripides, Olivia in A.C.T.’s Will on Wheels production of Twelfth Night, and many more. Follow her journey on Instagram: @thejerriejohnson

Kevin Kemp

Demetrius, ensemble. Kevin is delighted to be performing with California Shakespeare Theatre. Past credits include: Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Everyman, and Oedipus. Kevin has been fortunate to work in theatre and screen across Europe, India, the UK, and the US. When not acting, Kevin choreographs stage combat and has studied swordplay at Shakespeare’s Globe in London. www.kevinkemp.co.uk

Robyn Kerr

Puck, ensemble. Robyn Kerr (she/her) is a Jamaican Scottish actress now living and working in the US. Theater includes: Pride and Prejudice (Syracuse Stage), The Heart of Robin Hood & Rip Van Winkle (Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (National Theatre, Broadway National Tour), Knives in Hens (The Shop, 59E59 Theater), Love's Labour's Lost (Great Lakes Theater), Dark Vanilla Jungle (The Shop, Here Arts).

Dean Linnard

Lysander, Flute, ensemble. Dean Linnard (he/him) is a bicoastal actor and teaching artist. Bay Area credits include: Twelfth Night, The Three Musketeers, Love’s Labour’s Lost (Marin Shakespeare Company); Hand to God, Sex with Strangers, Bad Jews (Left Edge Theatre), for which he won a Theatre Bay Area Award. DeanLinnard.com

Rami Margron

Oberon, Theseus, Movement Choreographer. Margron (They/Them) is delighted to be back at the Bruns after relocating to NYC 2 ½ years ago. At Cal Shakes: Much Ado About Nothing (Borachio, Margaret, Friar), Twelfth Night (Orsino), Lady Windermere’s Fan (Plimdale, Agatha, Rosalie), Restoration Comedy (Ensemble). Margron has studied over 20 styles of dance and movement in the U.S. and abroad. They perform with African-Diaspora dance companies on both coasts.

Jenny Nelson

Hermia, Starveling, ensemble. Jenny (she/her) is thrilled to return to the Bruns after making her Cal Shakes debut last season in Everybody. Regional theatre credits include: Everybody Somebody (Cal Shakes); Office Hour Gina U/S and Metamorphoses Myrrha U/S (Berkeley Rep); Sense and Sensibility Anne Steele (PCPA). In fall, she will be joining the Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Acting class of 2022. Check her out at JennyAnNelson.com

Amber Chardae Robinson

Snout, ensemble. Amber Chardae Robinson was born and raised in Port Arthur, Texas. Proud graduate of Prairie View A&M University (B.A. Theatre 2012) and Columbia University (M.F.A. Acting 2015). Recent Film credits: STUBER (20th Century Fox), Always A Bridesmaid, Hell On Wheels, If Not Now, When? Theatre credits: Comedy Of Errors, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Light, Fen (Classic Stage Company).

Marcel Spears

Bottom, ensemble. Marcel (he/him) is an LA based actor and writer from New Orleans. He was awarded Classic Stage Company's Rosemarie Tichler Fund Grant in 2015. His most recent theater credits include Ironbound (Geffen), Othello (Classic Stage Company), Judy, written by Max Posner, and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Marcel also stars in CBS’ new comedy THE NEIGHBORHOOD. He holds an MFA in Acting from Columbia University.

Annie Worden

Helena, Snug, ensemble. Off Broadway: House of Gold (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater), The Vagina Monologues (Cherry Lane) Regional: Ironbound (Geffen Playhouse), Measure For Measure (Cal Shakes), The Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis), Twelfth Night, Cabaret (Trinity Rep), Family Butchers (Magic Theatre), The Princess and the Pea (Shakespeare Santa Cruz). Film: Infected (with Michael Madsen and William Forsythe). MFA Brown/Trinity. Founder of the arts-based non profit, stories4strength.org

CREATIVE

Tyne Rafaeli

Tyne Rafaeli (she/her) is a British-American Director based in New York. She directs classics, new plays and musicals in London and the US. Her work has also been seen at: The Geffen Playhouse, Playwright's Realm, Classic Stage Company, The Atlantic Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, New York Stage & Film, Two River, PlayMakers Rep, Goodspeed, Juilliard, Great Lakes Shakespeare, American Players Theater, Idaho Shakespeare Festival and the O'Neill Playwright's Conference among others.

Director

Nina Ball

Scenic Designer. Nina’s designs have been seen here at Cal Shakes (The War of the Roses, Everybody, As You Like It, Othello, Twelfth Night, A Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer Night’s Dream), as well as American Conservatory Theater, Shotgun Players, SF Playhouse, San Jose Repertory Theatre, Aurora Theatre Company, Center REP, Z Space, and Santa Cruz Shakespeare among many others.

Ásta Bennie Hostetter

Costume Designer. Mrs. Murrays Menagerie (Mad Ones), The Lucky Ones (Ars Nova), Miles for Mary (Playwrights Horizon), Porto (WP Theater), The Wolves (Lincoln Center), The Rape of The Sabine Women (Playwrights Realm), Fulfillment Center (MTC), John (Signature), Men on Boats (Playwrights Horizons), Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night (KCrep), El Coquí Espectacular (Two River), The Mystery of Love and Sex (Signature Theatre)

Jiyoun Chang

Lighting Designer. The War of the Roses (Cal Shakes), An Octoroon (Berkeley Rep). New York credits: Marys Seacole, brownsville song (LCT3), Slave Play, Sojourners, Her Portmanteau (NYTW), Something Clean, Too Heavy For Your Pocket, Ugly Lies The Bone (Roundabout), Our Country (Under the Radar), Relevant (MCC), Sleep, Goldberg’s Variation (BAM Next Wave), The Dance and the Railroad (Signature), T.1912, Peter and the Wolf (Guggenheim). Jiyounchang.com

T. Carlis Roberts

Sound Designer & Composer. T. Carlis Roberts (they/them or he/him) is an artist and scholar based in Oakland. As a composer and designer, they have worked around the country at theaters including Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, About Face Theatre, San Jose Rep, and American Theater Company. T leads the queer retro band The Singing Bois. T is Associate Professor of Music at UC Berkeley. www.tcarlisroberts.com

Dave Maier

Fight Director. Dave Maier (Fight Director; he/him) is in his 14th season as the resident fight director with Cal Shakes. His work has been seen at ACT, Berkeley Rep, Aurora Theatre, SF Playhouse, Berkeley Playhouse, Center Rep, Marin Theatre, and Shotgun Players. 2018 TBA award: outstanding fight choreography, Quixote Nuevo. Master Fight Director and Senior Instructor with Dueling Arts International.

Philippa Kelly

Resident Dramaturg. Dr. Kelly's (she/her) work has been supported the Fulbright, Rockefeller, and Walter and Eliza Hall Foundations, the Commonwealth Awards, the Centre for Human Emotions, the Walter and Elise Haas Foundation, the California Arts Council, and the Bly Awards for LMDA. The best known of her several books is The King and I. Coming in 2019: Diversity, Inclusion, and Representation in Contemporary Dramaturgy: Case Studies from the Field.

Jessica Berman

Vocal/Text Coach. Jessica Berman (she/her) returns to Cal Shakes after working on The War of the Roses and Fences. Recent dialect and vocal coaching credits include: Paradise Square: A New Musical, Angels in America, and What the Constitution Means to Me (Berkeley Rep), An American in Paris (North American Tour), In Old Age, The Eva Trilogy, and Sojourners (Magic Theatre), and Oslo, The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley, and Shakespeare in Love (Marin Theatre).

Cheryle Honerlah

Stage Manager. Cheryle (she/her) is joining Cal Shakes for her seventh season, where she has Stage Managed black odyssey, Quixote Nuevo and The Glass Menagerie. Previously, was Production Assistant on A Raisin in the Sun, Twelfth Night, and Othello, and was a Cal Shakes' Intern in 2013. Other credits include ACT, TheatreWorks, Shotgun Players, Douglas Morrisson, and African-American Shakespeare Co. B.A. in Technical Theatre: CSU East Bay; AEA.

Mark Seward

Assistant Stage Manager. Mark (he/him) is glad to be working on his first show with Cal Shakes. Last summer, he stage managed three shows at Woodminster Amphitheater and in Chicago with the Organic and Goodman theater companies. Mark has been a facility management executive with the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, Toronto's North York Performing Arts Center and the Fraze Pavilion in Dayton.

Midsummer Program

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