THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, July 30, 1996 TAG: 9607300037
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
LENGTH: 98 lines
SUMMER SHAKES, shaken up about losing its home at the outdoor 24th Street Stage, is taking its show on the road - all over Virginia Beach.
The show is Shakespeare's most fantasy-ridden romantic comedy, ``A Midsummer Night's Dream.'' Producer Ann Russell Taylor says the Bard's line about how the course of true love never did run smoothly applies all too well to theater.
Summer Shakes Inc. was organized with the idea of performing at the 24th Street location, wedged between the ocean on one side and Atlantic Avenue traffic on the other. The group produced the comedy ``Star-Spangled Girl'' in 1994 and a series of three plays last summer: Shakespeare's ``Taming of the Shrew'' and ``Romeo and Juliet,'' and the Broadway comedy ``I Hate Hamlet.''
A disagreement about pay for rainy-night cancellations, however, ended the deal between the city and the Shakes at 24th Street. No pay for stormy weather, according to a letter the group sent to the City Council, would be unworkable.
Ann Russell Taylor, a Suffolk native who was a New York actress for nine years, wrote to the council that ``hopefully, in ensuing years, we'll get our home back.''
Meanwhile, she has scheduled outdoor performances of ``A Midsummer Night's Dream'' at such varied locations as Lake Edward Apartments clubhouse (Hampshire Lane at Ershire Court), Francis Land House Historic Home (3131 Virginia Beach Blvd.) and Mount Trashmore Park.
Audience members are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. Picnics are also welcome. Donations to the company will be accepted, but there is no admission charge.
The players will move inside for performances at the Virginia Beach Center for the Arts auditorium on varied dates between Aug. 14 and 23.
Bentley Anderson, who is directing the production, said that ``the producer found herself as an independent agent without a home very late in the game this summer. We had planned to do `Dream' next year, but this was an emergency situation. We decided to do just the one single show this season - allowing us to concentrate more on quality and assembling a first-rate cast. At one time, we considered finding a ballroom in a Virginia Beach hotel. But `Midsummer' is the best Shakespeare play to perform outdoors, and we found three great locations.
``What's happened has turned out to be good for the company.''
Anderson concedes that taking a show this large outdoors, and moving it around town, is a risk.
``It's very much in the experimental stage,'' he said. ``We're going to see what happens, and we think audiences will go along for the adventure.''
He plans to have the audience seated with their backs to the buildings at both Francis Land House and the Lake Edward clubhouse.
``The idea is that the sound will be encased, or bounced back, by having the actors facing the structures,'' the director said.
Only at Mount Trashmore, where a huge audience is expected, will microphones be used.
``Cellar Door is cooperating with us by letting us use amplification equipment,'' Anderson said.
The cast includes Brad Breckenridge as Oberon, Lea Ann Douglas as Titania, David Kidd as Lysander, Jim Pitchford as Demetrius, Anne Morton as Helena, Aimee Koller as Hermia and Jonathan Marten as Bottom, the leader of the clowns. Kent Collins plays Puck, the mischievous conniver who consorts with both humans and spirits. Also featured will be Jim Luker, Ian Goodwin, Robert Seymone, Jim Edwards, Joe George, Michael Buchanan, Al Aymer, Ben Hevner and Sandra Holcombe.
``Every effort is being made to make the play accessible to a wide audience,'' Anderson said. ``Consequently, we've cut the script to have the show run under two hours. It was a difficult and painful thing to do, but we're playing to people who will be sitting in lawn chairs or on the ground. We want the running time to be reasonable.''
Joe Mahler is dialogue coach for the production, with Shirley Hurd as assistant director. Russ Taylor is the producer, and Cilia Burnett is the costumer.
``We're on the run,'' Anderson said. ``That means we're depending heavily on elaborate costumes to put across the visual side of the show. Since we're moving to three different locations, we aren't sure just what kind of electrical outlets we can have, so we aren't trying elaborate lighting.''
For further information, or more detailed directions to the locales, call 425-1154. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Helena (played by Ann Morfton[sic]) sleeps in the arms of Demetrius
(Jim Pitchford) as Oberon (Brad Breckenridge) and fairies (Adriane
and William Jeffries) plot mischief.
Graphic
WANT TO GO?
What: Summer Shakes' production of Shakespeare's ``A Midsummer
Night's Dream''
When, Where: Previews tonight and Wednesday at 8 p.m. at Lake
Edward Apartments Clubhouse, Hampshire Lane at Ershire Court,
Virginia Beach; Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m. at Francis Land House
Historic Home, 3131 Virginia Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach; Sunday at
6:30 p.m. at Mount Trashmore Park, Virginia Beach; Aug. 9 to 11 at
Francis Land; Aug. 14 to 24 at the Virginia Beach Center for the
Arts.
How Much: Free
More Info: Call 425-1154 by CNB