Wednesday, July 10, 2002
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Wednesday, July 10, 2002 |
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Offshoot brings Shakespeare to the southside with 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' By MICHAEL
BOYLAN
William Shakespeare wrote dozens of famous plays but "A Midsummer Night's Dream" may be one of the most influential plays he penned. It is certainly a favorite among actors, as the play involves a lot of action and comedy, as well as drama, romance and dance. Offshoot Productions is looking forward to presenting the show at Sams Auditorium beginning this Friday. The plot of the play focuses on people in love. Hermia and Lysander are in love but Hermia's father wants her to marry Demetrius. Helena, Hermia's best friend, is in love with Demetrius and, to win his affection, reveals the lovers' plans to elope. The four enter the woods, which are ruled by Oberon and Titania, the quarreling king and queen of the fairies, and when Puck, a mischievous sprite, gets some magic flower juice in the eyes of the wrong people, hilarity ensues. "A Midsummer Night's Dream" has been produced hundreds of times. It has been modernized, animated, turned into a ballet and filmed as well as performed on stages around the world. Perhaps one of the more famous elements of the show is a play that a number of workers plan on performing at a wedding. The cast rehearses the play in the woods, where all of the craziness is occurring. The play is a parody of Romeo and Juliet's balcony scene and is Shakespeare's humorous take on his own work. Offshoot Productions' "A Midsummer Night's Dream," boasts a cast of professional actors from the metro Atlanta area augmented by Offshoot's summer apprentices. In addition to Offshoot's cast, the production features guest appearances by dancers from the Georgia Youth Ballet, choreographed by Magdalena Maury. "The wood outside Athens becomes a playground for the young lovers and the fairies," says Offshoot artistic director Susan M. Steadman, Ph.D., who is staging the work. "Ladders and ramps make possible some intriguing movement." The show is full of music, dancing and hand-to-hand combat. William Shakespeare's comic gem runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets, which are $12 general admission and $8 for full-time students and senior citizens, are available at the Peachtree City Library, 201 Willowbend Road, 770-631-2520; the Fayette County Library, 1821 Heritage Parkway, Fayetteville, 770-461-8841; and Gold's Gym, 1962 Hwy. 54 (near Publix), 770-487-4273. Tickets will also be sold at the door. Sams Auditorium is located at 205 LaFayette Avenue in Fayetteville. For group sales, directions, or additional information, call 770-631-2362 or e-mail to offshootpr@aol.com. To learn more about Offshoot Productions, visit Offshoot's web site, www.offshootproductions.org. |
