Photo Flash: ActorsNET's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM Begins Tonight

Warmth and merriment abound inside The Heritage Center Theatre in Morrisville, Pennsylvania from tonight, March 6 - 22 as ActorsNET stages the magical mayhem of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Scroll down for a sneak peek at the cast!

Real life married couple Carol Thompson and George Hartpence of New Hope lead the hysterical histrionics as Titania and Oberon, the Queen and King of the fairies in an enchanted forest. The plot sees them arguing over a human boy, whom Titania has adopted as her own. Oberon prefers the child to join his entourage. To punish her, Oberon sets in motion a spell using magical eye drops to make Titania fall in love with the first thing she sees. She then sleeps.

Into the woods come Athenian friends, Helena and Hermia. They're in love with Demetrius and Lysander, respectively, but Hermia's father, Egeus, insists his daughter wed Helena's beloved, Demetrius (who loves Hermia instead). Also in the woods is a rowdy band of comical mortals who are attempting to put on a play for the upcoming wedding of Duke Theseus. Peter Quince is directing his motley cast, dominated by a bombastic, egotistical actor named Nick Bottom.

Puck, a mischievous fairy, spies Bottom and decides to transform the ham actor's head into that of a donkey. Titania awakes from her nap to fall instantly in love with the now furry-headed actor. Puck isn't done making trouble. He uses the eye drops on the human couples, but selects the wrong ones -- making Lysander love Helena, not Hermia, and then making Demetrius love Helena, too!

ActorsNET Cofounder and Artistic Director Cheryl Doyle of Morrisville directs the March production. Wren Workman of Morrisville costars as Puck (aka Robin Goodfellow), along with C. Jameson Bradley of Quakertown, Pennsylvania as Nick Bottom. Also costarring as the young lovers are Elizabeth Rzasa of Lawrenceville, New Jersey as Hermia, Andrew James Gordon of West Windsor, New Jersey as Lysander, Maryalice Rubins-Topoleski of Trenton, New Jersey as Helena and Shawn Doremus of the Jersey Shore as Demetrius.

The large cast also features Susan Fowler of Lambertville, New Jersey, as Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, who is betrothed to Duke Theseus (Scott Karlin of Plainsboro, New Jersey); David Burr of Princeton, New Jersey as Egeus; and David H. Bohn of Ewing, New Jersey as Philostrate.

The comically bad actors in the play within a play are Jerry Smith of Yardley, Pennsylvania; David Burr; Joe Doyle of Morrisville; Marco Newton of Yardley; and Bobby Reiser of Langhorne, Pennsylvania.

Also featured in the production as Titania and Oberon's fairies are (alphabetically) Ashlyn Hale of Morrisville; Shane Howell of Yardley; Griffin and Jocelyn Kemp of Morrisville; Julia Mitchell of Yardley and Hayley Rubins-Topoleski of Trenton.

A Midsummer Night's Dream performs weekends March 6 - 22 at The Heritage Center Theatre, 635 N. Delmorr Avenue (Route 32), Morrisville -- near the Calhoun Street Bridge. Show times are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Admission is $20 for adults, $17 for seniors (62+), $15 for students and WHYY card holders; and $10 for children age 12 and younger. Discounts available for prepaid groups of ten or more. For reservations or information, phone 215-295-3694 or visit the ActorsNET web site at www.actorsnetbucks.org.