Actors from the London Stage Star in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM at Rice University, Beginning Today

Actors from The London Stage, an international touring theater troupe based in London and the University of Notre Dame in the U.S., are in residency at Rice University beginning today March 10, through March 12 performing William Shakespeare's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM.

"Lord, what fools these mortals be!" Puck explains in Shakespeare's most notable comedy, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. Join the Actors from The London Stage as they bring the fairy-filled love stories of Hermia, Helena, Lysander, and Demetrius to life at Rice University's Hamman Hall in three performances at 7:30 p.m. Mar. 10, 11 and 12th.

The company, an educational program developed by Homer Swander at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and founded by Patrick Stewart, is now in its 37th year touring approximately sixteen to twenty universities giving communities, students, and faculty the opportunity to experience a dynamic and enriching performing arts program.

An acting tour-de-force, all roles will be played by five veterans of classical theatre - Patrick Moy, Claire Redcliffe, Samuel Collings, Ffion Jolly, and Chris Donnelly.

The Actors from The London Stage hail from such prestigious theater companies as the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, as well as working in film and the BBC.

The troupe's residency is being underwritten by the Alan and Shirley Grob Endowment for Shakespeare and the Grob Fund for Shakespeare in Performance, with additional support from Rice University, the Department of Visual and Dramatic Arts and the Department of English.

Admission is $20 for the general public, $15 for all students, Rice faculty/staff/alumni/senior citizens, $10 for groups over 10. Tickets are available in advance by calling 713-348-7529 or emailing hamman@rice.edu. More information on the Rice University performances can be found at www.arts.rice.edu.