Be careful what you dream about, because it just might come true. Local youth theatre company The Company of Adventurers is gearing up for their performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, from Oct. 2-4 at the Gladstone Theatre, with a spooky twist.
“It’s a retelling of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but with a slight reframing — we jokingly call it A Mid-Hallow’s Eve Dream,” says actor Morgan Sugars-Keen.
The Company of Adventurers is no stranger to putting on Shakespearean classics, as they’ve been performing in the youth theatre space since 2011.
Poster for A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Photo provided.
With the large community following they’ve achieved over the years, A Company of Adventurers puts on their shows as fundraisers every year raising thousands of dollars for local charities. During this performance, they are supporting The Gladstone Theatre.
“Our goal was just to have a theatre group that would be a place where youth could engage in something that felt like real theatre — something more extensive that what people usually did in school,” says co-founder of The Company of Adventurers Cynthia Sugars. “I wanted to have a group of young people who put on a major theatre production, and I also wanted it to feel like a community event in some way. I think we’ve accomplished that with The Company of Adventurers for sure.”
This Halloween cross-over will see one of Shakespeare’s most famous comedies all dressed up for All Hallow’s Eve.
Cast members from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Photo provided.
Sugars says that she wanted to create something fresh for audiences, while still referencing key moments that audiences could recognize and resonate with. A Midsummer Night’s Dream plays around with dreamscapes, which is something Sugars has emphasized in this retelling.
“In the play, these four lovers end up in the woods, they fall asleep in the woods at various points and fairies put spells on them and fall in love with different people,” says Sugars. “So there’s lots of dreaming in the play, and we wanted to create this kind of framing where the entire play is like a dream. That’s something I really hope comes across for audiences.”
Cast from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Photo provided.
“We don’t want to treat Shakespeare as a kind of biblical text,” continues Sugars. “I really like demystifying Shakespeare for people because I think people are kind of afraid of Shakespeare. We really try to make the shows come alive and be accessible for audiences.”
“This was my first exposure to the script A Midsummer Night’s Dream and I definitely think the added context that was provided by Cynthia helped my understanding,” says actor Donovan Martin. “I definitely have to complement Cynthia’s choice of the specific costumes or ways we introduce jokes to make sure everyone understands.”
Cast from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Photo provided.
This performance will also include some of the Bard’s humour, which is something the cast is excited to bring to the stage.
“William Shakespeare is a funny guy, and there’s a whole lot of jokes that are in this play,” says Martin. “I think we have such a wonderful cast that are able to truly heighten those humorous moments. We also have some audience interaction and audience participation that really, really gets a crowd going.”
“We’ve got some zany Halloween surprises — that I don’t want to give away for audiences — but it’s very fun,” says Sugars.
Make sure to catch this Halloween spectacular of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Gladstone from Oct. 2-4. Tickets are free, and will be a fundraiser for The Gladstone Theatre. For more information about the show, you can visit The Gladstone’s website, or The Company of Adventurers’ website.
