Elgin Shakespeare Project presents unrehearsed 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

Elgin Shakespeare Project will present Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" unrehearsed at the Elgin Artspace Lofts, 51 South Spring St., in downtown Elgin. Performances are at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 22 and 6 p.m. Sunday, June 23. Performances are free and open to the public; donations are welcome.

This production is part of Janus Theatre's Elgin Shakespeare Project, exploring original practices of Shakespeare's plays and contemporaries.

"A Midsummer Night's Dream" is one of Shakespeare's most famous comedies. In the story, four lovers spend a wild night in the woods, where midsummer magic ensues in a dreamlike world where fairies rule and nothing is as it seems. While Fairy King Oberon and Fairy Queen Titania argue with each other, their paths are crossed by Bottom, Quince and their friends presenting a play within a play, as the conniving Puck makes sure that the course of true love doesn't run smooth in a forest filled with fantasy, love and dreams. Since it was first performed in 1595, it has been a very popular play.

The play will be presented using cue script acting techniques. Actors will be working with scrolls in hand during the performance and will not have read the play or rehearsed scenes in advance. This brings a spontaneous quality and freshness to the performance. The cast features Jennifer Reeves-Wilson, Heidi Swarthout, Allison Sword, Julie Bayer, Amber Cartwright, Stetson Cross, Galen Malick, Richard Isemonger, Jake Busse, Jared Sheldon, Ben Slabik, Tiffany Jasinski, Elissa Wolf, Alexandra Smith, Faiz Siddique and Aurora Penepacker. The production is produced by artistic director Sean Hargadon and stage managed by Tara Morrison.

The Elgin Shakespeare Project is embarking on the second year of a three-year project to further examine Shakespeare's plays and contemporaries, using techniques developed during his time.

"By practicing the unrehearsed cue script technique, along with other exciting innovations from the time, we hope to create a place where Shakespeare's plays speak directly to audiences today," Hargadon said.

In 2018, Elgin Shakespeare Project presented all-female versions of "The Tempest" and "Julius Caesar."

For details, visit www.janusplays.com.