CSC Stage2 Performances for Young Audiences Will Present A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company's Stage2 Series for Young Audiences presents Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream for students from 15 local schools at seven Student Matinees and one Public Performance, from April 2-10 at The Strand Theatre, 543 Columbia Road, Boston.

Performance dates: Thursday, April 2 at 10 AM; Friday, April 3 at 11 AM; Monday, April 6 at 10 AM; Tuesday, April 7 at 10 AM; Wednesday, April 8 at 10 AM; Thursday, April 9 at 10 AM (limited tickets available); and Friday, April 10 at 11 AM; with a Public Performance on Friday, April, 3 at 7 PM.

Tickets are $12 for the Student Matinees and $20 for the Public Performance.

School groups also have the option of staying for a free post-show talk-back with the actors.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Boston Cultural Council and administered by the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture, and by the Paul and Edith Babson Foundation.

'The course of true love never did run smooth.'

A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of Shakespeare's most fanciful and enchanting comedies telling the tale of four bewitched lovers as they reckon with jealousy, desperation, and the complications of true love. This year, Stage2 takes up residence at the Strand Theater, one of Boston's hidden jewels, serving as a cultural and educational resource for all.

The Cast includes Siobhan Carroll as Helena, Alicia Hartz as Hermia, Jon Vellante as Lysander, Duncan Gallagher as Demetrius, Jessica Golden as Oberon/Theseus, Caroline Cronin as Titania, Dylan Wack as Bottom, Timiki Salinas as Puck/Philostrate, Ivy Ryan as Quince/Egeus, C. Padraig Sullivan as Snug/Peaseblossom, Kevin Hodgkins as Flute/Cobweb, and Zoe Abuyuan as Snout/Moth.

Scenic design is by Lindsay Fuori, Lighting design by Bridget K. Doyle, and Costume Design by Brooke Stanton.

Director Bryn Boice is an award-winning director, educator, actor and producer. Recent Boston-area directing credits include Universe Rushing Apart: Blue Kettle & Here We Go, two Caryl Churchill one-acts for Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (Elliot Norton Award-Outstanding Director, Large Theatre); The Children by Lucy Kirkwood (now at Speakeasy Stage); Admissions by Joshua Harmon (The Gamm Theatre); Last Night at Bowl-mor Lanes (with Paula Plum and Nancy E. Carroll at Greater Boston Stage Company); and an all-female production of Julius Caesar for Actors' Shakespeare Project. Bryn is the newly appointed Associate Artistic Director of CSC, and serves as the Director of the CSC Academy, for whom she has previously directed Shakespeare's Henry IV part 1, Henry VI part 2, and A Midsummer Night's Dream with the Apprentice Company. New York and Regional credits as an actor and/or director include work with Asolo Repertory Company, Boston Playwrights' Theatre, InProximity Theatre Company, Theatre Row, Martha's Vineyard PAC, Monomoy Theatre, Caroline's on Broadway, and Manhattan Theatre Club. She is also Founding Artistic Director of the Boston fringe ensemble Anthem Theatre Company. Bryn currently teaches Acting III, Voice, Applied Movement, and Dialects, among others, at Salem State University. She holds an MFA in Directing from Boston University and an MFA in Acting from the Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training (FSU). For more information, visit www.brynboice.com

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company's Stage2 Performance Series provides the opportunity for students and their teachers to attend high-quality live theater created with them in mind. These abridged productions use Shakespeare's original text and focus on the themes and stories that will resonate most with young audiences. Performed by our young professional CSC2 Acting Company, these performances bring together the next generation of actors with the next generation theater goers.

CSC2 is a company of young actors that works with Commonwealth Shakespeare Company to further develop skills in classical acting through performance, artistic and professional development, and through different educational and coaching settings. The ensemble is built of twelve non-Equity, early-career actors with some professional experience.

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (CSC), best known for its annual free performances on Boston Common, is a non-profit theater organization founded in 1996, dedicated to artistic excellence, accessibility, and education. CSC's Free Shakespeare on the Common has served over one million audience members over its 24-year history and has become a beloved summer tradition enjoyed by over 50,000 people annually. CSC also presents fully staged productions including past productions of the world premiere of Our American Hamlet, Beckett in Brief, Death and the Maiden, Old Money, Caryl Churchill's Blue Kettle and Here We Go, and Naomi Wallace's adaptation of William Wharton's novel Birdy. Most recently CSC has created in partnership with Google a Virtual Reality (VR) experience of William Shakespeare's classic play Hamlet, entitled Hamlet 360: Thy Father's Spirit, Released in partnership Boston public media producer WGBH, it can be viewed exclusively on the WGBH YouTube channel. The video has been shown at multiple venues and educational institutions in the US and abroad. CSC also produces an annual "Theatre in the Rough," semi-staged readings including 2017's Fear and Misery in the Third Reich featuring Tony Shalhoub and Brooke Adams. CSC also hosts two annual series, entitled 'Shakespeare and the Law' and 'Shakespeare and Leadership,' which analyze Shakespeare's work as it relates to contemporary issues, leadership, and laws. CSC fulfills its educational mission with actor-training programs for pre-professional and professional actors through the summer Apprentice program and CSC2.

To learn more, visit commshakes.org or call 617-426-0863.