DATE: January 12, 2022
CONTACT: Reid Edelman
redelman@mendocino.edu (707) 468-3172
WHAT: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare, Directed by Reid Edelman
WHO: MENDOCINO COLLEGE THEATRE ARTS DEPARTMENT
WHEN: February 3-13, 2022
- Thursday February 3, 7:30 PM (“pay what you wish preview”)
- Friday February 4, 7:30 PM (Opening Night!)
- Saturday February 5, 7:30 PM
- Thursday February 10, 7:30 PM (Special discount show, all tickets $10)
- Friday February 11, 7:30 PM
- Saturday February 12, 7:30 PM
- Sunday February 13, 2 PM
WHERE: MENDOCINO COLLEGE, CENTER THEATRE
Center for the Visual & Performing Arts, 1000 Hensley Creek Road, Ukiah.
TICKETS: $20, $15 students and seniors. Pay what you wish preview is Thursday February 3. Special discount show: Thursday February 10, all tickets $10. Advance tickets are available at the Mendocino Book Company in Ukiah, and online at www.ArtsMendocino.org. For additional information, call (707) 468-3172. Note: Covid Restrictions are in place: Valid ID, proof of full vaccination and mask required to enter theatre. No exceptions.
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After a Two-Year Wait, Mendocino College Theatre Department Presents Shakespeare’s Magical Comedy
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
Two years ago, just four days prior to opening night, the Covid-19 pandemic shuttered the Mendocino College production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It was going to be a very special production, and the cast and crew were heart-broken. However, in September 2021, director Reid Edelman reconvened the cast, welcoming back all of the original actors who wished to resume their roles and replaced some who had moved on. The costumes were modified, and the set was reassembled. Now, the local cast of 24 enthusiastic performers is once again preparing to open this magical play.
The Mendocino College Theatre Arts Department will present their long-awaited A Midsummer Night’s Dream February 3-13 in Mendocino College’s Center Theatre at the Ukiah Campus. According to Edelman, “This is one of Shakespeare’s most magical, charming and accessible comedies. Our production, featuring an original musical score, is set in an imagined world of dreams, magic and love.” Performances will run for two weekends only.
The play opens as Duke Theseus (John Tomlinson) returns to Athens having captured Hippolyta (Mindi Ramos), Queen of the Amazons, whom he intends to marry. Upon the duke’s return, Egeus (Jim Williams) demands that his daughter Hermia (Rickie Emilie Farah) marry his chosen groom, Demetrius (Dakota Laiwa-McKay). In order to escape this unwanted match, Hermia elopes with her lover Lysander (Alexander Marsh) into the woods. Demetrius follows them, and Helena (Gwendolen Van Wyk) who loves Demetrius, follows him. Once in the woods, the lovers encounter the hobgoblin Puck (Jasmine Byerley) who serves the Fairy King, Oberon (Bryan Arnold). Through Puck’s mischief and some very potent love-inducing flowers, the Athenian lovers change affections in hilarious ways. Meanwhile, Oberon’s feud with the fairy queen, Titania (Stacey Sheldon) causes distemper in the fairy realm. All this unfolds as a group of hard-working yet bumbling Athenian tradespeople, led by carpenter-director Peter Quince (Brittani McKemy) and weaver-actor Nicholas Bottom (Billy Hetherington) meet in the woods to rehearse a play in honor of Theseus’ wedding.
With original music, created by Mendocino College students under the direction of music faculty members Phillip Lenberg, Charlie Seltzer and Jim Dowcett, otherworldly costumes and scenery, dancing fairies, and theatrical magic, this family-friendly Shakespeare play will appeal to audiences ages 10 and older. The play, one of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies, examines the fickleness of love and friendship while celebrating the allure of theatre and the shared human connections that hold our world together.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream will have a “pay what you wish preview” on Thursday February 3. Opening night is Friday February 4. Performances will run for two weekends only, through February 13. Following the opening, additional performances are Saturday February 5 at 7:30 PM, and Thursday, Friday, and Saturday February 10, 11 & 12 at 7:30 PM, and Sunday February 13 at 2 PM. Tickets ($20 general; $15 students and seniors) are available at the Mendocino Book Company, online at www.ArtsMendocino.org and at the door as available. The performance on Thursday February 10 is a special discount night, with all tickets costing only $10. Audiences are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance. Please note: mandatory Covid Safety Protocols are in place. Valid ID, proof of full vaccination and mask required to enter theatre. No exceptions.
This Mendocino College production showcases the emerging talents of Mendocino College’s conservatory students, as well as numerous other students and community members. The production’s impressive scenery, lighting, costumes and sound design are being created by Mendocino College students under the direction of faculty and staff members Steve Decker, Kathy Dingman-Katz, and David Wolf. Student Shannon Sawyer is the Assistant Director, and the choreography of the dances in the play is by college dance instructor Eryn Schon-Brunner with the assistance of students Shannon Sawyer and Jasmine Byerley. Faculty member Alicia Bales is the play’s text and voice coach, and student Sarah Jansen is the Stage Manager.
For information, call (707) 468-3172 or visit /the-arts/theatre.
Please note regarding Mendocino College Covid Safety Policy: Mendocino College has adopted a vaccine mandate for indoor events. All guests must show proof of full vaccination (2 doses of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or 1 dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine) in order to enter the theatre. In addition, all audience members must remain masked while inside any campus buildings, including the theatre. Audiences are restricted to 50 people per show, so buying tickets early is advised.
Each audience member will need to present proof of vaccination upon entry. This can include: screen-shot of a valid CA digital vaccine card or QR code, physical CDC vaccination card, or a screen-shot or photo of a CDC vaccination card on a phone. A photo ID or an accompanying roster for children who do not have identification must accompany all health documents. Any altered or counterfeit CDC Cards will be declined at sole discretion of the college.
CDC, State of California, and Mendocino County and City mandates will be enforced. Face masks will be required for all audience members. Non-vented N95 masks or other well-fitted masks are strongly recommended. The following masks are NOT permitted: bandanas, scarfs, ski masks, balaclava, collar / turtleneck, or any mask that has an unfiltered one-way exhaust valve. There will be no exceptions for these requirements.
PRODUCTION PHOTOS BELOW:
Photo 1: Rickie Emilie Farah (Hermia), Alex Marsh (Lysander), Dakota Laiwa-McKay (Demetrius), Jasmine Byerley (Puck) and Gwendolen Van Wyk (Helena) in the Mendocino College production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. (Photo by Ilena Yeru Pegan)
Photo 2: Stacey Sheldon (Titania), Bryan Arnold (Oberon), Alex Marsh (Lysander), Rickie Emilie Farah (Hermia), Dakota Laiwa-McKay (Demetrius), Gwendolen Van Wyk (Helena), Billy Hetherington (Bottom) and Jasmine Byerley (Puck) in the Mendocino College production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. (Photo by Ilena Yeru Pegan)
Photo 3: Bryan Arnold (Oberon), Jasmine Byerley (Puck), and Stacey Sheldon (Titania) in the Mendocino College production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. (Photo by Ilena Yeru Pegan)
