Philly Comedy Actors Star in Midsummer at the Lantern

Lantern Theater Company continues its 2010/11 season with A Midsummer Night's Dream (Mar. 10 - Apr. 17, 2011) by William Shakespeare. The Lantern's Artistic Director Charles McMahon will direct a cast of accomplished comedic actors who bring a distinct physical style to this fast-moving comedy.

"We think the lovers in this play should be funny," says McMahon. "They're obviously very ebullient characters, but many productions tend to over-romanticize them. So we've cast four really strong character comedians in these roles."

The four lovers will be played by Charlotte Ford (Hermia), David Sweeny (Lysander), Lee Ann Etzold (Helena), and Bradley K. Wrenn (Demetrius) - all known for their performances throughout the Philadelphia region, as well as their experimental and physical theater work.

In a lively production from "the city's most consistent producer of the Bard's work" (Philadelphia Weekly), young lovers Hermia and Lysander, kept apart by strict Athenian law, escape to the wood where tyrannical parents can't find them - but mischief can. Elsewhere among the trees, the fairy king and queen are having a marital spat with disastrous consequences for one Nick Bottom.

A Midsummer Night's Dream begins previews on March 10, opens on March 16 (press night, 7:00 p.m.), and closes on April 17, 2011. [A full performance schedule follows in the fact sheet below.] Tickets are $20-$36 and are available online at www.lanterntheater.org or by calling the Lantern Box Office at (215) 829-0395. $10 student rush tickets are available 10 minutes before curtain with valid ID; cash only. Additional discounts are available for seniors and groups of 10 or more. Lantern Theater Company is located at St. Stephen's Theater, 10th & Ludlow Streets in Center City Philadelphia.

The Cast
As part of the quartet of lovers, Lee Ann Etzold will play Helena. Etzold has been a finalist for the F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Philadelphia Theatre Artist, a Pennsylvania Council of the Arts Fellow, and an Independence Foundation Fellow. She is a founding member of New Paradise Laboratories and has worked with many area theater companies, including the Lantern where she appeared in The School for Wives and received a Barrymore Award as part of the ensemble for The Comedy of Errors.

In the role of Hermia is Charlotte Ford, known for her physical comedy work in productions such as her own CHICKEN (2010 Live Arts Festival), Pig Iron's Welcome to Yuba City, and Flesh and Blood & Fish and Fowl with Geoff Sobelle. She has performed with New Paradise Laboratories, Theatre Exile, 1812 Productions, Arden Theatre Company, and Brat Productions, and has been nominated for two Barrymore Awards.

Portraying Lysander is David Sweeny, the creator/producer of the popular Johnny Showcase and the Lefty Lucy Cabaret who has appeared with Swim Pony Performing Arts (SURVIVE!), Arden Theatre Company, Shakespeare in Clark Park, Delaware Theatre Company, and internationally with Teatro delle Due in Reggio Emilia, Italy.

Bradley K. Wrenn, who will play Demetrius, was last seen at the Lantern in the 2009/10 season production of Scapin. Over the last four years Wrenn has produced, created, and performed in four original works including the highly acclaimed The Ballad of Joe Hill (with Adrienne Mackey) and Philly Fringe favorite The Annihilation Point (with The Berserker Residents). He has also appeared with Shakespeare in Clark Park, Enchantment Theatre Company, BRAT Productions, and Mauckingbird Theatre Company, and is an accomplished puppeteer.

As royalty of Athens and of the Fairies, Charlie DelMarcelle will play Oberon and Theseus, and Joanna Liao will play Titania and Hippolyta. DelMarcelle received rave reviews earlier this season for his portrayal of Astrov in the Lantern's Uncle Vanya. He serves as a roster artist for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, an instructor for the Fulton Theatre Academy, and an adjunct faculty member at both West Chester University and Albright College. Liao was last seen at the Lantern as Agnes in The School for Wives, and has appeared regionally at Trinity Rep, People's Light, Cherry Lane Theatre, and in the New York premiere of Tony Kushner's adaptation of Brecht's The Good Person of Setzuan.

Dave Johnson, who has performed at the Lantern in Scapin and Hamlet, will play Oberon's servant Puck as well as Philostrate. Other recent credits include The Berserker Residents' The Annihilation Point and Brat Productions' Haunted Poe, as well as productions with Enchantment Theatre Company, Theatre Exile, Theatre Horizon, and Commonwealth Classic Theatre Company.

The troupe of actors known as "The Mechanicals" includes David Blatt (the Lantern's Uncle Vanya and Henry IV, Part I) as Quince, Mark Cairns (Lantern debut) as Snout, Mike Dees (the Lantern's The Hothouse) as Flute, and six-time Barrymore Award nominee Benjamin Lloyd (title role in the Lantern's Scapin, Around the World in 80 Days at Delaware Theatre Company, Scorched at The Wilma Theater) as Bottom.

Lantern Theater Company: In Conversation
The Lantern's audience enrichment series offers an insider's look at A Midsummer Night's Dream through discussions with the creative team and other events designed to enhance the theatergoing experience. Scholars: In Conversation returns on three consecutive Mondays (March 21, 28, and April 4) and will explore the world of Shakespeare's work. Entitled Midsummer's Magic: Commedia, Sex, and the Supernatural, this three-part panel discussion series will feature guest scholars Lois Potter, Darlene Farabee, and John-Paul Spiro, alongside Midsummer artists Charles McMahon, Charlie DelMarcelle, Lee Ann Etzold, Joanna Liao, Benjamin Lloyd, and Dave Johnson. [Members of the press are invited to attend any of these supplementary events.]

2010/11 Season
Lantern Theater Company will conclude its 2010/11 season with acclaimed Canadian playwright Morris Panych's wickedly dark comedy Vigil, directed by Peter DeLaurier and starring Lenny Haas and Ceal Phelan, on stage May 19 - June 12, 2011.

Lantern Theater Company thanks its 2010/11 season corporate partners at Marathon Grill, La Fourno Ristorante Trattoria, and Dunkin' Donuts, and its community partners at St. Stephen's Church.

Tickets: Phone: (215) 829-0395
Online: www.lanterntheater.org

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