Original Practice Shakespeare Festival. “A Midwinter Night’s Dream.” 21 Dec. 2016, Portland, OR, Portland Metro Arts.
Hermia loves Lysander (requitedly). Helena loves Demetrius (unrequitedly). Pucke (a fairy) accidentally makes Lysander and Demetrius love Helena. Chaos ensues. King Oberon bespells Queen Titania to love an actor transformed into an ass. The fairies reconcile. Pucke fixes the spells (except Demetrius). Everyone gets married and watches a terrible play.
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The Prompter (Keith Cable), Quince (Brian Allard), Starveling (Beth Yocam), This Dog My Dog (Max Lewis) listen from the tiring house for their cues.
Flute (Brian Burger) makes a fun showing a Thisbe.
The Claus’ (Isabella Buckner and David Bellis-Squires) campaign with candy coins to sway the audience. This Dog My God (Max Lewis) whirls by a sleeping Bottome (David C. Olson).
The Claus’ (Isabella Buckner, David Bellis-Squires) oversee a poor play, featuring Quince (Brian Allard), Snug (Emilie Landmann), Bottome (David C. Olson), Snout (Michael Streeter), Flute (Brian Burger), This Dog My Dog (Max Lewis), and Starveling (Beth Yocam).
At Bottome (David C. Olson) makes his finale, the lanthorn moon (Beth Yocam) and thornbush (Max Lewis) are an unexpectedly divided front.
A crew of patches: Starveling (Beth Yocam), This Dog My Dog (Max Lewis), Snug (Emilie Landmann), Quince (Brian Allard), Flute (Briar Burger), Snout (Michael Streeter), and the prompter (Keith Cable) all lean in to hear Bottome (David C. Olson) weave his tale.
The Claus’ (Isabella Buckner and David Bellis-Squires) look on as the Whovillians (From left: David C. Olson, Jessica Hirschhorn, Alec Lugo, Tom Witherspoon, Rosalind Sullivan-Lovett, Colin Kane, Kaia Maarja Hillier) find an amicable end.
Misfit Goodfellow (Lauren Saville) looks on as Susan Claus (Isabella Buckner) and Nicholas Claus (David Bellis-Squires) are reunited. Misfit Rudolf (Rome Baele) and This Dog My Dog (Max Lewis) maintain the festive spirit.
Helena (Jessica Hirschhorn) is chased to exhaustion, collapsing in an audience seat, by Pucke (Lauren Saville).
An attentive prompter (Keith Cable) was as much a part of the action as an of the players–and frequently taunted by the littlest sprytes.
Susan Claus (Isabella Buckner), Nicholas Claus (David Bellis-Squires), and Pucke (Lauren Saville) bid us a special holiday epilogue.
The rude mechanicals (from left: Beth Yocam, Max Lewis, Emilie Landmann, Brain Allard, Brian Burger, Michael Streeter, David C. Olson, Keith Cable) are reunited.
The lovers (from left: Kaia Maarja Hillier, Colin Kane, Alec Lugo, Jessica Hirschhorn) try to sort out their muddled memories.
Lion (Emilie Landmann), Moon (Beth Yoram), and Thornbush (Max Lewis) do seem to be.