MICA Presents Shakespeare's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, Opening 3/24

Following last spring's sold-out performances of HAIR, the inaugural full-scale theater production in BBOX, MICA's student dramatic company, Rivals of the West, MICA faculty and staff will present A Midsummer Night's Dream.

The 10 performances of this Shakespearean woodland romantic fantasy will feature an imaginative set and provocative staging, capitalizing on all the artistic and performance talents of the College community.

Performances take place Wednesday, March 24-Saturday, March 27 at 8 p.m.; Sunday, March 28 at 7 p.m.; Wednesday, March 31-Saturday, April 3 at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, April 4 at 7 p.m. in Gateway's BBOX (1601 W. Mount Royal Ave.). Peter Shipley, a MICA photography assistant, returns this year as director and choreographer.

Christopher Shipley, who serves as producer of A Midsummer Night's Dream, explains the importance of having performance experiences at MICA with, "We need events, which not only involve but touch the whole community. Events that give the community an opportunity to come together ... and celebrate, watch and be a part of the exhibitions, talents and skills of the creative energies of our students. But also to celebrate that this is something we do, that this is a product of our creative environment."

The spring production is the culmination of the annual six-credit The Play's the Thing course for MICA students of all artistic disciplines, taught by Shipley, the co-director of MICA's artist residency in Rochefort-en-Terre, France. The course-the conception and purpose of which is to produce a full-scale production-sets the stage for MICA's new curricular emphasis in the performance arts.

"All of the different arts are interrelated so we, as students, should learn as much as we can, while we are in this educational environment," said cast member Zac Lawhon '11. "Acting in A Midsummer Night's Dream allows me to better understand aspects of performance art, characterization for my creative writing minor and even teaching."

BBOX, named in honor of Baltimore-based designers Betty Cooke '46 and Bill Steinmetz '50, is 58 feet by 58 feet in size, with flexible, movable seats and risers to accommodate a wide range of performance configurations. Its technical equipment includes an HD LCD projector and retractable screen; multi-channel digital sound system and 96-dimmer lighting system with computerized light board; and a tension wire grid 19 feet above the performance space to accommodate customized lights, cameras and other equipment.

Tickets for A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM are $10 for all students with ID and $20 for the general public. Tickets are available at the MICA Bookstore or online at the theater troupe's Web site.

For more information about the show, cast bios and rehearsal images, as well as to buy tickets, visit www.mica.edu/rivalsofthewest.