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Auditions for Theatre Tillsonburg's A Midsummer Night's Dream begin May 22

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Let us imagine another time and another place where the realm of the Fairies and the realm of man occur simultaneously under the light of a full moon.

Fairies are mischievous creatures so when they have the opportunity of messing about with groups of humans in their forest, they do.

First there is a wedding between the Duke of Athens to the former queen of the Amazons taking place, as well as the plight of four young Athenian lovers who keep falling asleep in the woods and falling in love with the wrong person when they wake up and a group of six amateurs actors, who are not very good, rehearsing in the same woods... and everyone is being manipulated by these fairies.

Sounds like a comedy to me. Sounds like something Shakespeare wrote. That is it! William Shakespeare, the superstar of theatre in the late 1590s did write this comedy and called it A Midsummer Night's Dream. Not to worry, this is not going to look like the 16th Century, the production of this comic classic will take place in the 1960s, just so you will have no problem understanding the whole thing.

Theatre Tillsonburg will be kicking off its 37th season and 153rd show/event this fall with this large production and consequently is having auditions early with some rehearsing over the summer.

Janice Lund right now, is playing, Madam Arcardi, in the last weekend of Blithe Spirit (don’t’ miss it!), will be directing this romp in the woods and has written something special about her auditions.

Just a note about what to expect in terms of rehearsals for this show - through June, July, and August, almost all cast members will only have two rehearsals a month! By the second week of September, we will move to two rehearsals a week, and then to three a week for the last six weeks before we open. For those who don't know the plot, I've got a summary in video form on the Theatre Tillsonburg Youtube channel. If you're worried about the Shakespearean language, I suggest watching any part of Kenneth Branagh's Much Ado About Nothing - there's nothing stuffy about it when it's done right!

Our show is going to be set in the 1960s, but using Shakespeare's text, judiciously edited by me.

We need 21 actors for this show - a wide range of ages and types, from young lovers to comic relief, from fairies to members of the Athenian court. Some parts are large, while others consist of only a few lines!

This show is going to be a great experience - I hope to see old friends and new at the auditions!

Auditions are Tuesday, May 22 and Thursday, May 24 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, May 27 at 2 p.m. They will be held at the Otter Valley Playhouse 144789 Potter’s Rd., Tillsonburg. Make sure you are available for the show which is Nov. 1-4 and 8-11. Contact Janice at lundy.janice13@gmail.com for further information.

Don’t forget, we need people backstage or the actors will have no set, no costumes, no props and performing behind the curtain in the dark! So if you are looking for a way to get more involved in your community and meet fun people give the theatre at try. But, you don't have to be in the crew to make a contribution as we are looking for people who want to help out with fundraising or even the business side of it. If interested in anything, please contact info@theatretillsonburg.com or pop out to auditions.

Registration is now open for 2018 Theatre Camp! Registration forms are available by emailing tillsonburgtheatrecamp@gmail.com. Anyone interested in applying for a summer job or volunteering can also contact the camp coordinator Trudi Czerwinski at the above email address.

Teen Theatre has been a challenge the last few years, as so many teens work so much over the summer and so few have been coming out, so our board has decided to switch teens from a summer-time slot to running during the fall and winter months. The teens might like to come out for A Midsummer’s Night Dream it is great way to get started and the chance to do a more challenging show.

The last bit of Theatre Tillsonburg news takes us back to the beginning of our season last November when The Game's Afoot or Holmes for the Holidays was adjudicated for Western Ontario Drama League Out-of-Festival Awards. We were honoured to receive the following recognitions for our production:

Winner of Best Visual Production; Karen Tripp nominated for Outstanding Cameo; Dave Deelen nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor and Anne Corcoran nominated for Outstanding Set Design.

A very belated, but deserving congratulations goes to that cast and crew. 

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