Shakespeare's comedy comes to ECC stage
A magical forest, naughty nymphs, headstrong lovers and an enchanted evening is the setting for "A Midsummer Night's Dream," one of William Shakespeare's most popular comedies that will be performed at Elgin Community College from Friday, April 23 to Sunday, May 9. The play will be held in the SecondSpace Theatre, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.
It will be performed at 8 p.m. Fridays, April 23 to May 7; and Saturdays, April 24 to May 8. Performances will be held at 3 p.m. Sundays, May 2 and 9. Also, a special morning matinee will be held at 9:30 a.m. Friday, May 7.
The play follows two couples - Lysander and Hermia, and Helena and Demetrius - in an enchanted forest during a midsummer evening. A chance encounter with the forest's nymphs and sprites causes a series of problems for the couples - one pair who is in love and another who is not.
The director is Mary Hatch, dean of ECC's Liberal, Visual and Performing Arts Division. She has worked in nearly every area of the theater onstage and backstage and has a wide range of experiences as an actress, stage manager and producer. This is the second time Hatch has directed an ECC Theatre production, the first being 2009's "All My Sons."
Hatch's theater credits include production stage manager for the Oak Park Festival Theatre, producing director for Chicago's City Lit Theater, and founder and producing director of Talisman Theatre - known in Chicago and the Fox Valley for producing classic plays and new plays with classic qualities. She has also worked closely with Chicago Dramatists on new plays in development, directing and acting in countless readings and workshops.
The play also will feature an original score by Marc Beth, an ECC music faculty member and the production's musical director. The score utilizes the actors' vocal and rhythmic instruments - no pre-recorded sound is being used in the performance. Beth previously taught music at Dundee-Crown High School in Carpentersville, and currently serves as musical director for the Schaumburg Summer Musical Theatre.
Tickets are $11 or $9 for students and seniors. Tickets to the May 7 morning matinee are $7. Tickets for all performances in the ECC arts center are available online at tickets.elgin.edu or at the ECC box office located in the arts center. Box office hours are noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and noon to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. To purchase tickets by phone, call (847) 622-0300. All major credit cards are accepted.
For information about the ECC Arts Center, visit www.elgin.edu/arts. Video clips of upcoming artists and events can be found at youtube.com/ECCArtsCenter. Connect and talk to the arts center on Standing Room Only, a blog at eccartscenter.com/. The arts center also can be followed on Twitter at twitter.com/ECCArtsCenter.