Shakespeare troupe performing 'Twelfth Night' in Naperville
A community theater group plans to transform Naperville's Central Park into an Elizabethan stage Friday night for a performance of William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night."
This is the ninth year the Midsummer Theatre Troupe will perform at the Community Concert Center, 104 E. Benton Ave., in conjunction with Naperville Park District.
"Twelfth Night" is a comedy focusing on love triangles, deception and mistaken identities. Programs will be provided, and the troupe works hard to make the language accessible to audiences of all ages.
"I think it's great to offer a variety of cultural arts programs, plays and activities," said Brittany Malatt, park district program manager. "It's a good way to introduce younger kids to something unique and different."
The troupe features actors from across the suburbs, including Naperville, St. Charles and Elgin.
"We really have all types in this cast," Allison Lanthrum of St. Charles said. "I was a part of the troupe when it began, but then I went to college and moved abroad. Now I'm back and I'm glad to see some veterans and some new faces."
Lanthrum is reprising her role as Feste, a professional fool, in "Twelfth Night."
"I like Feste because she really dances the line between sanity and madness," Lanthrum said. "She's playing all sides of this small community in the show, and you can never quite tell what she's up to."
Like many of her fellow cast members, Lanthrum views acting as more of a hobby and works as an administrative assistant in the Teaching and Learning Center for the College of DuPage.
Nevertheless, she says acting is also something of a lifestyle.
Ever since her mother signed her up for a children's comedy class at Waubonsee Community College when she was only 5, Lanthrum has managed to find her way back to acting one way or another.
"I was so young I barely remember anything about it," she said of the class. "But I do remember making $5 and telling puppy jokes."
Besides canine comedy or Japanese theater in Europe, she said there is something special about performing Shakespeare in the park.
Lanthrum is joined onstage by Dan McQuaid, a Naperville resident and founding member of Midsummer. He will be playing Duke Orsino, a relatable character because almost everyone knows someone who is stupidly in love.
"Everyone else can tell that he's barking up the wrong tree," McQuaid said.
McQuaid's acting debut came while he was enrolled in an acting class in college in the early 1980s and volunteered to read a scene aloud. He enjoyed the experience so much that he began to audition for plays.
He moved to New York for four years after graduation but decided he wanted a more traditional life. McQuaid now teaches English and coaches boys track and field and freshman football at Wheaton North High School.
He did not find his way back to acting until 1999.
"I didn't think my wife would ever let me do a play, so I snuck out to the audition when she was out somewhere with our newborn," McQuaid said.
Now, almost 20 years later, he is still trading his classroom for Shakespeare in the park every summer, and the Naperville performance tends to be a favorite stop.
"Central Park is a great venue because it's right downtown, so it's full of life," McQuaid said. "People like how they're walking around with an ice cream cone and can see a Shakespeare play going on."
Lanthrum said she, too, remembers the Naperville audience being especially warm and excited.
Audience members are encouraged to picnic, bring lawn chairs or take advantage of the benches scattered around the park. Come early for a close spot as the free performance typically attracts several hundred people.
If you miss the Naperville performance, there are several others scheduled in Geneva, Wheaton and Aurora. Check out Midsummer Theatre Troupe's Facebook page for more times and locations.
"I hope people come and give it a try. It's really fun, and I think it's the best way to see Shakespeare," McQuaid said. "Up close and with an ice cream cone."