DESIRÉE DECOSTE

STAFF WRITER

Swinging into Bloomfield on Aug. 9th at Mill Pond Park will be Driftwood Theatre’s 25th annual Bard’s Bus Tour performing A (Musical) Midsummer Night’s Dream.

A (Musical) Midsummer Night’s Dream was originally created by Driftwood in 2004 and performed again in 2012.

Siobhan Richardson playing as Titania in the production. (Submitted photo)

The play is a colourful, upbeat, jazz-infused musical celebration of theatrical proportions with everything performed live and entirely acapella using the magical quality of voice.

Driftwood Theatre brings accessible, live outdoor theatre across Ontario with contemporary Canadian takes on Shakespeare.

“Driftwood’s goal is to make theatre as accessible as possible,” said D. Jeremy Smith, Artistic Director for the Driftwood Theatre Group. “We believe everybody should have access to professional theatre and these really great stories.”

If you were turned off by Shakespeare in high school it’s likely because it was being taught as english and when in fact the work is better digested as poetry and performance.

Shakespeare’s stories tend to come alive when performers portray relevant characters and relationships.

“This particular play is a sort of love letter to the idea to the notion of finding companionship, and about finding your place in the world,” Smith expressed. “And who hasn’t loved someone who hasn’t loved them back? Who hasn’t chased after the wrong person? Who hasn’t found love and companionship in unexpected places? We all have and that’s what this play is about.”

For Driftwood’s 25th season the company will imagine the play using Shakespeare’s text as an outdoor summer theatre experience for the entire family.

Ahmed Moneka playing as Puck in the production. (Submitted photo)

Four lovers and one group of unlucky tradespeople experience a chaos-filled night in the forest as they stumble across the mischievous Puck and the magical denizens of the fairy kingdom.

The cast of A (musical) Midsummer Night’s Dream includes Steven Burley as Bottome, Nick Dolan as Demetrius, Nathaniel Hanula-James as Lysander, Kelsi James as Helena, Ahmed Moneka as Puck, Marissa Orjalo as Hermia, Siobhan Richardson as Titania, James Dallas Smith as Oberon, accompanied by Musical Director Tom Lillington and vocalist Alison Beckwith.

The creative team includes composers Kevin Fox Tom Lillington, production designer Julia Kim, dramaturge Myekah Payne and stage manager Kelsey Rae.

“Driftwood represents an opportunity for people to pay what they can afford,” Smith told The Gazette. “Bring your family, bring your kids and bring a picnic it’s all laid out to be informal, community building and designed to be inspirational in that way.”

The shows will run from July 19 – Aug. 18 with 27 performances in 22 cities and towns in Southern Ontario.

All performances are free or pay what you can admission.

For more information on reserved tickets please visit http://www.driftwoodtheatre.com/see/bardsbustour/gettickets/

For all show dates please visit http://www.driftwoodtheatre.com/see/bardsbustour/

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