Stage2: A Midsummer Night’s Dream 2022
Public Performances: May 7 & 14
The Strand Theatre, Dorchester
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Bryn Boice
CSC is thrilled to announce the return of our Stage2 Series with A Midsummer Night’s Dream!
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most fanciful and enchanting comedies telling the tale of four bewitched lovers as they reckon with jealousy, desperation, and the complications of true love. This year, Stage2 takes up residence at the Strand Theatre, one of Boston’s hidden jewels, which serves as a cultural and educational resource for all.
The production itself will examine the themes of popularity, gender, authenticity, romance, and ideas about kindness, acceptance, understanding and respect. It sets the Fairy kingdom in the free-wheeling late 60s and the Royals and Mechanicals in the stuffy, uptight, mall-culture of the late 80s. The disconnect between these two periods will be emphasized by both music and costume, while the scenic look envelops the audience in the magic of the forest, a place where anything can happen. With the help of chandeliers in the treetops, we can change from enchanting fairyland to dark, foreboding forest with a snap of Puck’s fingers.
Major funding for Stage2 is provided by Paul Kastner, with additional support from the Paul and Edith Babson Foundation, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and Boston Arts Summer Institute. This project is part of Shakespeare in American Communities, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.
About Public Performances
A Midsummer Night’s Dream will perform 3 open/public community performances:
- Saturday, May 7, 2022 at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM
- Saturday, May 14, 2022 at 7:00 PM
Tickets for the public performances are $18 for adults and $12 for students
About Student Matinees
In addition to our public performances, student matinee performances will be held the following days/times:
- Thursday, May 5, 2022: 10:00AM
- Friday, May 6, 2022: 11:00 AM
- Monday, May 9, 2022: 10:00 AM
- Tuesday, May 10: 2022: 10:00 AM
- Wednesday, May 11: 2022: 10:00 AM
- Thursday, May 12: 2022: 10:00 AM
- Friday, May 13: 2022: 11:00 AM
Please visit our Student Matinee page to learn more
The National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest presents Shakespeare in American Communities. CSC is one of 40 professional theater companies across the nation selected to perform a Shakespeare play with a professional team of actors for middle- and high-schools and conduct related educational activities for students.
Who is A Midsummer Night’s Dream appropriate for?
Stage2 productions are presented using Shakespeare’s original text, cut for length to under 2 hours without intermission. Our cuts focus on highlighting the themes, ideas and language that will resonate strongly for a student audience. Our creative team and performers make choices that serve to illuminate the storytelling for this audience without “watering down” the source material. School groups have the option of staying for a short post-show talk-back with the actors.
This year’s Stage2 production is created with a 6th through 12th grade curriculum/audience in mind. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most accessible comedies, touching on themes of jealousy, unrequited (or mistaken!) love, grand interference by the fairy kingdom, and finding confidence, maturity and personal agency. We do encourage educators and/or parents to read the play being presented and make the best choice for their students of any age. We recommend discussing the play with your students before and after you view our production. Please use the information and graphic below to gain a better idea of what to expect from this year’s play and let us know if you have specific questions about content.
About Accessibility
Open Captioning will be provided at every performance.
In addition, ASL interpretation or Audio Description may be available upon request.
For questions or more information, please email audienceservices@commshakes.org.
About Covid-19 Safety
CSC, in coordination with the Strand Theatre and the City of Boston, continues to diligently monitor the public health situation relative to Covid-19. Decisions are made with the safety of our audiences, artists and staff as our top priority. As a building run by the City of Boston itself, the Strand and CSC will follow city-mandated Covid-guidelines, including any vaccination, distancing or masking rules, CSC also reserves the right to add additional protective guidelines where deemed necessary for the safety of all. As of today, we will require proof of vaccination for all audience members attending our public performances regardless of age. All audience members will be masked and we will employ social distancing between audience groups. As of this time, requiring proof of vaccination will NOT apply to school groups attending our student matinees.
As of today, all CSC staff and performers on site will be fully vaccinated and required to undergo a health screening each day before arriving in the building. Performers will not be masked while onstage during the performance but will maintain a safe distance from the audience. Otherwise, masks are required of all CSC staff while on site
Safety policies will continue to be updated throughout the year as needed. Any changes to the above policies will be communicated here and sent to all attendees directly.
About CSC2
John Hardin (Mercutio) in Romeo & Juliet, CSC2, 2019-Photo by Nile Hawver
Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s Stage2 Performance Series provides the opportunity for students and their teachers to attend high-quality live theater created with them in mind. These abridged productions use Shakespeare’s original text, and focus on the themes and stories that will resonate most with young audiences. Performed by our young professional CSC2 Acting Company, these performances bring together the next generation of actors with the next generation theater goers.
CSC2 is a company of early-career professional actors that works with Commonwealth Shakespeare Company to further develop skills in classical acting through performance (including in CSC’s flagship Shakespeare on the Common production), artistic and professional development, and through different educational and coaching settings.
Cast
Zoe Abuyuan (she/her) is so grateful to be here in Boston doing live theatre with Commonwealth! Most recently seen as Rosalind in Shakespeare’s As You Like It with PICT Classic Theatre. Select Credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Helena/Snout, PICT Classic Theatre), and Romeo & Juliet (Juliet), Much Ado About Nothing (Conrade/Ursula) and Taming of the Shrew (Widow) with Shakespeare in the Woods. Graduate of The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.
Siobhán Carroll (she/her/hers) is delighted to be returning to Commonwealth Shakespeare Company after being a part of their production of Universe Rushing Apart: Blue Kettle & Here We Go. Other Boston credits include Red Velvet (O.W.I.); My Fascination With Creepy Ladies and I, Snowflake (Anthem Theatre Company); The Three Sisters (Apollinaire Theatre Company); and Next To Normal (Arts After Hours). Catch her as Petra in the series Ms/Manage now out on Black Oak TV.
Nettie Chickering (she/her) is grateful to work with CSC in person this year. She is a CSC Virtual Apprentice alumna (2020) and was an Apprentice Showcase scene partner (2021). Recent NY/Regional Theatre: Helena in Midsummer (Theatre 2020), Feste in Twelfth Night (60 Hour Shakespeare), Twelfth Night (Nashville Shakespeare) and Much Ado About Nothing / Love’s Labour’s Lost (Hub Theatre Boston, directed by Bryn Boice). Nettie sang and composed jazz/blues scores for both Twelfth Night and Romeo & Juliet. Nettie is a Resident Acting Company member of Hamlet Isn’t Dead and a vocalist for free jazz/poetry group Heroes Are Gang Leaders. Training: The Neighborhood Playhouse. @nettiechickering
Ekemini Ekpo (she/her) is happy to be back with CommShakes! Around town, she has performed with the Artists’ Theater of Boston, Apollinaire Theatre Company, and Praxis Stage. She is also a member of the 24 Hour Plays: Nationals 2020 Company and the inaugural IGNITE Mentorship cohort for emerging women and non-binary artists of color, through which she is mentored by Jocelyn Bioh. Education: Harvard College, Atlantic Acting School IG: @e.u.ekpo, ekeminiekpo.com
Duncan Gallagher (he/him) is delighted to return to Boston with this extraordinary company. Previous work in the area includes The Tempest (CSC) and Love’s Labour’s Lost (Hub Theatre Co.) Elsewhere: Echo, in a Diner (world premiere, Columbia University) and The Country Wife (Sweet Tea Shakespeare.) Upcoming: Much Ado About Nothing (CSC.) Credits while training include Brutus in Julius Caesar, Antonio in The Changeling and the title role in Richard III. MA: LAMDA, BA: Brown University. duncan-gallagher.com
Jessica Golden (Lady Capulet) is delighted to be back with CSC2! Her previous credits with CSC include: Much Ado About Nothing (Military Messenger/Nikkole), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Oberon and Theseus), and The Tempest (Iris). She was a 2019 CSC Apprentice, and played Oberon in Midsummer, also directed by Bryn Boice. Other local credits include: Into the Breeches!, Love’s Labour’s Lost, and Much Ado About Nothing (Hub). Jessica is a proud graduate of NYU/Tisch. @_jessicagolden
Alicia Hartz (she/her) has acted as a CSC Apprentice, performed virtually with CSC2, and is excited to be making her CSC Stage2 debut! Other credits include Viola in Twelfth Night (RADA, London, UK), My Daughter Keeps Our Hammer (Playwrights Horizons, NY), Hero Worship (Signature Theater, D.C.), Medea (Queen’s Theater, NY), The Circle Rules (Player’s Theatre, NY), and a Summer Cabaret Artist (Carousel Music Theater, ME). Much love to Bryn and Victoria for their continued support! alicia.v.hartz@gmail.com
Jaime José Hernández (he/him) is thrilled to be a part of CSC2! He was most recently seen in Romeo & Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Apollinaire Theatre Company). Other credits include: The Arboretum Experience (American Repertory Theatre); Much Ado About Nothing, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Hub Theatre Company of Boston); Vicuña (Zeitgeist Stage Company); SLAM BOSTON (Open Theatre Project). Jaime is a company member of Teatro Chelsea. jaimejosehernandez.com
Jon Vellante (he/him) is a Boston-based Theatre, Film and TV Actor. Recent credits include Julia (HBO Max); The Women and Science Festival (Central Square Theater); The Taming of the Shrew (Sh*t-Faced Shakespeare); The Sound Inside (u/s, Speakeasy Stage Company); and the short Automate (winner, best actor at London Shorts). Jon also works as an actor for IBIS Consulting in partnership with Google as part of DEI training. For upcoming projects, visit www.jonvellante.com.
Xander Viera (Lord Montague) is ecstatic to bring Shakespeare to young audiences with CSC2 again! Xander received his BFA Degree from Salem State University ‘21 and currently resides in Swampscott, MA. This is their third performance with the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company. Previous CSC credits include: First Watchman in Much Ado About Nothing and Flute/Thisbe in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, CSC2. Other credits include: As You Like It with Third Citizen (Touchstone); The Laramie Project (Greg/Hing/Minister/Rulon); and Harvey (Dr. Chumley) at SSU.
Regine Vital (she/her/hers) is a theatre artist, administrator, educator, scholar, and storyteller from Somerville, MA. As an actor, director, dramaturge, and coach, she has worked with several Boston area theatre companies, including Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, ArtsEmerson, Company One, Central Square Theatre, HUB Theatre Company, Fresh Ink Theatre, and Flat Earth Theatre. She has taught composition, introductory literature, and public speaking at the college level; text and performance to high schoolers; and continuing adult education classes in literature. Regine holds degrees from Boston University, UMass Boston, and studied Shakespeare at King’s College, London and Shakespeare’s Globe. Currently, she is the Manager of Curriculum and Instruction at The Huntington.
Dylan C. Wack (Friar Laurence) is thrilled to be returning to Commonwealth Shakespeare Company after performing in Much Ado About Nothing, The Tempest, and the CSC2 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He has performed with the Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre, the Front Porch Arts Collective, Theater in the Open, New Repertory Theatre, Fresh Ink Theatre, Sparkhaven Theatre, and AATAB, among others. He holds a BFA from Boston University and a Certificate in Classical Acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Originally from Newburyport, Massachusetts, Dylan now resides in Brooklyn. dylancwack.com | @dylanwack
Creative Team
Bryn Boice (she/her) is an award-winning director, educator, actor, and producer. Her work with CSC began in 2017 with three summers as a Showcase Director and acting coach for the Apprentice Program, directing Henry IV part 1, Henry VI part 2,and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In 2019, she was named Associate Artistic Director and Director of the CSC Academy, which encompasses the Apprentice Program, Stage2, and other CSC education & training initiatives. Also for CSC, Bryn directed Universe Rushing Apart: Blue Kettle & Here We Go – two Caryl Churchill one-acts – which garnered her the Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Director, Large Theatre. Other recent Boston-area credits include: Gloria (Gloucester Stage); The Sound Inside (Speakeasy Stage); The Half-Life of Marie Curie (The Nora Company at Central Square); The Children (Speakeasy Stage); Admissions (The Gamm Theatre); Last Night at Bowl-Mor Lanes (Greater Boston Stage Company); and an all-female production of Julius Caesar for Actors’ Shakespeare Project. Upcoming: the Boston premiere of Into the Breeches! by George Brandt (Hub Theatre).
She is also the Artistic Director of Boston fringe ensemble Anthem Theatre Company. With Anthem she created and directed multiple devised works and reimagined classics including the Red Sox/Yankees-themed Romeo vs. Juliet; I, Snowflake, a devised post-election reaction play; her original work, The Merry Way, featuring traditional Irish folk song; and My Fascination with Creepy Ladies, a devised work centering Edgar Allan Poe’s stories about “the death of a beautiful woman.”
New York and Regional credits as an actor and/or director include work with Asolo Repertory Company, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, InProximity Theatre Company, Theatre Row, Martha’s Vineyard PAC, Monomoy Theatre, Caroline’s on Broadway, and Manhattan Theatre Club.
As a theatre educator, Bryn has taught Acting, Directing, Voice for Performance, Applied Stage Movement, Public Speaking, Dramatic Theory & Criticism, Dialects, and Shakespeare’s Text among others. A great proponent of higher education and lifelong learning, she holds an MFA in Directing from Boston University, an MFA in Acting from the Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training (FSU), and a Master’s Certificate in Arts Administration from Boston University. She also holds a BFA in Theatre Arts from Emporia State University (KS) and a BS in Journalism from the University of Kansas. For more information, visit www.brynboice.com
Kelsey Whipple (she/they) is a Boston-based stage manager and is very excited to be working with CSC in person for the first time! Recent credits include: Merchant of Venice (ASM, Actors’ Shakespeare Project), Love’s Labour’s Lost, Much Ado about Nothing, and Solitaire Suite (SM/OBS engineer, Hub Theatre Company), and ONWARD: Votes for Women (ASM, Birch Tree Productions). Kelsey is also a choreographer for Suffolk University’s show choir Rampage and works as a part-time teaching assistant at Perkins School for the Blind.
Amanda Fallon (they/she) is a theatre artist and educator with a deep love for new work and devising. She and her characteristically loud bouts of laughter have called parts of Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts home, but after the recent completion of an MFA in Lighting Design at Boston University, they’ve continued to enjoy designing, teaching, and eating miscellaneous baked goods along the East Coast. www.amandafallondesign.com
Lindsay Genevieve Fuori (she/her) is a scenic designer for theatre, opera, and events. Recent regional credits include Becoming Dr. Ruth (Music Theatre Connecticut), Parade (Moonbox Productions), Native Gardens (Gloucester Stage), and The Crucible (The Nora Theatre/Bedlam). Lindsay is a Teaching Artist at Thomas A. Edison K8 School through the Boston Arts Expansion Fund. She also serves as an Industry Panelist for MassOpera’s New Opera Workshop. Lindsay holds a B.F.A. in Scenic Design from Boston University. lindsayfuori.com.
The Strand Theatre,
owned by the City of Boston and managed by the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture
543 Columbia Road
Boston, MA 02125
The view from the stage out across the 1,400 seats of The Strand Theatre. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)
Driving Directions to The Strand Theatre
From South: Take I-93 North to exit 15, Columbia Road. Left at the bottom of ramp to third set of lights.There is a Kentucky Fried Chicken / Tedeschi’s on the corner. Turn left onto Columbia Road. Go through two sets of lights, the Strand is on the left, just past Bank of America.
From North: Take I-93 South to exit 15, Columbia Road. Right at the bottom of ramp to third set of lights. There is a Kentucky Fried Chicken / Tedeschi’s on the corner. Turn left onto Columbia Road. Go through two sets of lights, the Strand is on the left, just past Bank of America.
From West: Mass Pike (I-90) east into Boston, to I-93 south. Follow “From the NORTH” directions.
From Jamaica Plain/ Brookline: Take the JamaicaWay south to the Arborway. Keep straight to the rotary. Go 3/4 around the rotary and turn into Franklin Park. Go through the park, and turn left onto Blue Hill Avenue. Go about 50 yards, then make a right onto Columbia Road. The Strand is about 1 1/3 miles down on the right, just past the Strand/ Walgreen’s Pharmacy.
Parking
On street parking is available on Columbia Road.
Free off-street parking is available in the Ramsey Street Municipal lot. Ramsey Street is located at the intersection of Dudley Street and Columbia Road behind CVS Pharmacy and Payless Shoes.
For evening and Sunday shows, free parking is also available in the Citizen’s Bank and Santander Bank parking lots. The Citizen’s Bank lot is located at the corner of Columbia Road and Cushing Avenue. The Santander Bank lot is located in the rear of the bank at 585 Columbia Rd.
Public Transit
Red Line: Get off at Andrew station. Take the #16 (Forest Hills) or #17 (Field’s Corner) bus to Upham’s Corner/Dudley Street. Get off in front of Payless Shoe Store. The Strand is up one block on the left, just past Bank of America.
Orange Line: Get off at Ruggles station. Take the #15 (Upham’s Corner) bus via Dudley Station. Get off in front of Get off in front of Payless Shoe Store. The Strand is up one block on the left, just past Bank of America.
Orange Line: Get off at Forest Hills station. Take the #16 (Forest Hills) or #17 (Field’s Corner) bus to Upham’s Corner/Dudley Street. Get off in front of Payless Shoe Store. The Strand is up one block on the left, just past Bank of America.
What is the running time of the production?
The performance runs approximately 90 minutes without intermission.
For student matinees, each performance is followed by a talk back with the cast which will last no more than an additional half hour. Schools may choose to be dismissed before or after the talk back and can indicate this preference when booking.
What ages is the production appropriate for?
Stage2 productions are presented using Shakespeare’s original text, cut for length to approximately 1.5 hours without intermission. Our cuts focus on highlighting the themes, ideas and language that will resonate strongly for a student audience. Our creative team and performers make choices that serve to illuminate the storytelling for this audience without “watering down” the source material.
This year’s Stage2 production is created with a 6th through 12th grade curriculum/audience in mind. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most accessible comedies, touching on themes of jealousy, unrequited (or mistaken!) love, grand interference by the fairy kingdom, and finding confidence, maturity and personal agency. We do encourage educators and/or parents to read the play being presented and make the best choice for their students of any age. We recommend discussing the play with your students before and after you view our production. Please use the information and graphic below to gain a better idea of what to expect from this year’s play and let us know if you have specific questions about content.
What safety protocols do you have in place relative to covid-19?
CSC, in coordination with the Strand Theatre and the City of Boston, continues to diligently monitor the public health situation relative to Covid-19. Decisions are made with the safety of our audiences, artists and staff as our top priority. As a building run by the City of Boston itself, the Strand and CSC will follow city-mandated Covid-guidelines, including any vaccination, distancing or masking rules, CSC also reserves the right to add additional protective guidelines where deemed necessary for the safety of all. As of today, we will require proof of vaccination for all audience members attending our public performances regardless of age. All audience members will be masked and we will employ social distancing between audience groups. As of this time, requiring proof of vaccination will NOT apply to school groups attending our student matinees.
As of today, all CSC staff and performers on site will be fully vaccinated and required to undergo a health screening each day before arriving in the building. Performers will not be masked while onstage during the performance but will maintain a safe distance from the audience. Otherwise, masks are required of all CSC staff while on site.
Safety policies will continue to be updated throughout the year as needed. Any changes to the above policies will be communicated here and sent to all attendees directly.
Is there handicap seating available?
Yes, there are several locations in the theater to accommodate wheelchairs. Please indicate any seating needs when selecting your tickets.
Are assisted listening devices available?
Yes, visit the box office for assisted listening devices.
What other accessibility services are available?
Open Captioning will be provided at every performance. In addition, ASL interpretation or Audio Description may be available upon request.
The public performance on May 7 at 2:00 p.m. will be an “Access-Palooza” performance, offering open captioning, ASL interpretation, audio description, and some sensory-friendly accommodations. For questions or more information, please email audienceservices@commshakes.org.
Doors to the theater will open approximately 15 minutes before the performance. Seating will be first come, first served. We advise you give yourself plenty of time for parking and walking to the theater.
What are parking and transportation instructions?
The Strand Theatre staff will meet all buses at the curb in front of the theater for drop-off of students,
On-street parking is available on Columbia Road.
Free off-street parking is available in the Ramsey Street Municipal lot. Ramsey Street is located at the intersection of Dudley Street and Columbia Road behind CVS Pharmacy and Payless Shoes.
For evening and Sunday shows, free parking is also available in the Citizen’s Bank and Santander Bank parking lots. The Citizen’s Bank lot is located at the corner of Columbia Road and Cushing Avenue. The Santander Bank lot is located in the rear of the bank at 585 Columbia Rd.
MBTA
Red Line: Get off at Andrew station. Take the #16 (Forest Hills) or #17 (Field’s Corner) bus to Upham’s Corner/Dudley Street. Get off in front of Payless Shoe Store. The Strand is up one block on the left, just past Bank of America.
Orange Line: Get off at Ruggles station. Take the #15 (Upham’s Corner) bus via Dudley Station. Get off in front of Get off in front of the Payless Shoe Store. The Strand is up one block on the left, just past Bank of America.
Orange Line: Get off at Forest Hills station. Take the #16 (Forest Hills) or #17 (Field’s Corner) bus to Upham’s Corner/Dudley Street. Get off in front of Payless Shoe Store. The Strand is up one block on the left, just past Bank of America.
There is no food or drink permitted in the theater.
Are shows delayed or canceled for weather?
Audience and actor safety is our main concern. In cases of heavy snow or extreme weather, we will cancel and try to re-seat patrons into an alternative performance date. Weather updates can be found on the homepage of our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
The taking of photos or video is strictly prohibited.
How can I support Commonwealth Shakespeare Company?
To make a donation or call 617-426-0863. Click on the Ways To Give tab on our website to learn more about upcoming fundraising events and ways to get involved.
Support for Commonwealth Shakespeare Company Provided by
Commonwealth Shakespeare Company
101 Arch Street
8th floor
Boston, MA 02110
617-426-0863
CSC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
