Lost lovers. Fairie magic. Mistaken identities. Conjuring laughter.
Our 18th mainstage production of Shakespeare’s magical romantic comedy in four Pittsburgh parks, Sept. 3-25.
Explore PSiP’s original resources for all ages:
Comic Synopsis by Lydia Aceto
Parents’ and Kids’ Guide edited by Catherine Aceto
Directed by JENNIFER TOBER
WEEKENDS in September 2022 – Saturdays & Sundays at 2 PM
Sat. & Sun. Sept 3 and 4 at 2 PM, Frick Park (enter at Beechwood and Nicholson, 3 minute walk straight down the path)
Sat & Sun Sept 10 (talkback) and 11 at 2 PM, Highland Park (by Super Playground)
Sat & Sun Sept 17 and 18 at 2 PM, Westinghouse Park (by Thomas Blvd near the building)
Fri Sept 23 Schenley Plaza in Oakland at 6 PM
Sat & Sun Sept 24 and 25 at 2 PM, Frick Park (enter at Beechwood and Nicholson, 3 minute walk straight down the path)
Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream will call on the powers of magic and love as Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks’ continues its 18th year. Artistic Director Jennifer Tober steps back into the directing realm with this summer’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream production.
“Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most well-loved comedies involving love triangles, several subplots, and a magical world of faeries and sprites,” says Tober. “This enchanting play is needed right now to make us laugh, bring us together in our beautiful parks, and transport us to a place of laughter and wonder.”
Using the outdoor environs and found spaces in our parks, Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks creates exciting, muscular productions that use diverse, innovative casting, engage the audience in unique ways and bring new life to Shakespeare’s words, delighting thousands of patrons of all ages and all walks of life.
The 22nd production by PSiP, Dream will move through four parks with nine performances on weekends, September 3-25. For the first time, performances will be held in historic Westinghouse Park while returning to Frick and Highland Parks, in addition to Schenley Plaza in Oakland where PSiP will return for one twilight performance.
A cast of 13 will appear in multiple roles that include royalty of both the human and fairy realms and the lovers, fairies, and working folk who populate the play.
The characters and actors are led by:
Oberon/Theseus – Jalina McClarin
Titania/Hippolyta – Tracey D. Turner
Puck, a mischievous fairy – Cornel Gabara *
The Athenean lovers, who get lost in the magical forest, are:
Helena- Alexandra Hellinger
Hermia – Catherine Baird
Demetrius – Aaron Crutchfield
Lysander – Harper York
The “Rude Mehanicals”, who enact the comic play-within-the-play “Pyramus and Thisbe”, and also appear as these and other fairy characters, are:
Peter Quince/Cobweb – Bob Colbert
Bottom, the Weaver/Pyramus- Stoney (Charles) Richards *
Snug the Joiner/Lion/First Fairy/Egeus – Clark Eileen Atkinson
Snout the Tinker/Wall/Moth – Matt Calvetti
Flute the Bellows Mender/Thisbe/Mustardseed – Matt Henderson
Starveling the Tailor/Peasblossom/Philostrate – Kalee George
The production team also includes: Matt Calvetti, music director; Ricky Lyle, costume designer; Samantha Kuchta, scenic and properties designer; Mimi Wilson, dramaturge; Alan Irvine, production manager; Lauren Scheller-Wolf, stage manager; Sylar Rella, assistant stage manager; Lindsay Victoria Smelcer, assistant director; and Moriah Turner, Covid safety manager.
Admission is free with online and onsite donations requested.
Director’s Note
Welcome to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. We are so glad that you can join us for this romp of a play about love, magic, perseverance, and transformation. This is one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, and it is one of my favorites too. No matter how many times I have performed in, directed, or seen this play, I can’t get through it without laughing and crying. The whirlwind of love, the painful pangs of jealousy, the panic of being lost, the joy of finding your soulmate – these elements get me every time. I get carried away and inspired by the characters’ tenacity to fight for what they want as they sojourn through the unfamiliar Forest (the Lovers), search the world over for the correct magic love flower (Puck), get up on stage for the first time in their lives (The Mechanicals) or desperately do everything in their power to convince others to love them (well, almost everyone in the play). Like many of Shakespeare’s characters, they do not rest until wrongs are righted and harmony is restored, on both a personal level and in their community. These characters give me hope and reassure me that dreams do come true and that love can win in the end. Enjoy our DREAM and thank you for being a part of our family!
#freeforall
Photo: Catherine Welsh Aceto
Graphic Design: Sara-Anne Lee
Saturday, September 10: Britsburgh Post-Show TalkBack
PSiP is a partner of Britsburgh, building bridges across communities by driving growth in British-American culture, history, education, tradition, and trade in Pittsburgh. PSiP’s opening weekend will again be part of this annual regional festival of all things British with its Saturday, September 10 performance when a talkback will follow the 2 pm show in Highland Park.
Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks is supported in part by The Pittsburgh Foundation, PNC Charitable Trusts, the Fine Foundation, The Heinz Small Arts Initiatives, and Opportunity Fund. Funding from The Arts Equity Reimagined (AER)/CAWG Group) provided PSiP with critical capacity building support during the pandemic to solidify operations and production planning.