After beginning rehearsals on Aug. 29, students involved in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” will perform on Oct. 13,14 and 15 at 7 p.m. at Town Park. Admission is free.
Theater Director Jeremy Ferman and Assistant Director Sara Corley organized the cast and production. The directors say rehearsing a play held off-campus causes some difficulty.
“The hardest part was getting my students to understand how to speak Shakespeare,” Mr. Ferman said. “Shakespeare is English, just in a different order and more difficult to speak.”
Auditions took place on Aug. 25 and were open to all Legacy students. Junior Judy Johnston and the others auditioned in small groups that performed sections of the play.
“I was a little nervous for the auditions, but it was fun,” Johnston said. “We worked really hard on [the show].”
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” follows three storylines and a love triangle involving Athenians, fairies and a group of actors. Johnston plays Puck, one of the play’s driving characters.
“Being a part of the production has helped me to be more outgoing,” Johnston said. “I’m more confident in myself.”
Shakespeare wrote 36 plays, and his works are widely regarded as classics.
“We haven’t done a Shakespeare show in eight or nine years,” Mr. Ferman said. “It’s exciting that we get to do another.”
Town Park has limited parking, so a shuttle will be available starting at 6 p.m. for those who park at Legacy High School.
“Mansfield, to my knowledge, has never had Shakespeare in the Park,” Mr. Ferman said. “I think it’s something that would be really cool to have more often.”
