Midsommer/Midsummer @ the Park.

The Chicago Parks District has been hosting free Shakespeare productions in various parks throughout the summer. Not surprisingly,  it took me until the last weekend in August to take advantage of these shows, but I finally saw A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Touhy Park. This was a perfect choice for my inaugural CHC/park/Shakespeare experience since this show was an inaugural experience all its’ own. The play was produced by MIDSOMMER FLIGHT, a brand-new company founded by Beth Wolf whose objective is to establish a Chicago theatre collective dedicated to producing outdoor performances of Shakespeare’s plays. 

This production faced two obvious challenges: being a brand-new company (which is slightly remedied by the fact that they teamed with the Chicago Parks District, they offer FREE shows, & the fact that no one can resist a picnic) and performing against the elements of an urban park. Despite the sirens, crickets, & annoying neighborhood kids, this cast held up pretty well against the elements working against them. There was definitely room for improvement in terms of sound quality, but, for the most part, the actors spoke loudly & articulately. Since the audience sat level to the stage, it was difficult to see some of the action (especially during pivotal moments when the actors were lying down), but they generally used the space well. The cast also deserves mad props for making it work in a production space that offers no backstage. Only a seasoned & committed/invested group could conquer those challenges in their first attempt at a production.

The acting ensemble was as impressive in their credentials as in their performance quality,especially with Jared Dennis as a booming & authoritative Oberon, Annie Hogan as billowy & blustering Helena, & J. Preddie Predmore as a boisterous & engaging Bottom. It was a cleverly consolidated cast with the standard Theseus/Oberon & Titania/Hippolyta pairs, as well as the fairies doubling as the rude mechanicals. This play was especially fun because it reminded me of a project in which I participated as one of the founding members of the Delaware Shakespeare Festival. Our inaugural production was also Midsummer (I was a fierce Hermia, BTW). DSF is flourishing & celebrated their 10th anniversary season this summer with a new production of Midsummer. I predict Midsummer Flight will flourish just as boldly & brightly.