Over 400 tickets for the Creative Energy Arts Factory’s performance of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream have already been sold. The May 12 and 13 evening shows are technically a sell out, according to Principal Director, Alana Rybar.
“We always find room for fans that show up at the door,” she said.
Doors will open at 6 p.m. at Traynor Hall and the performance will begin at 7 p.m. when the youth performers take the stage to use the medium of dance and song to tell the story of falling in love. Rybar thought this would be an enormous task and it was.
“I did adapt the comedy a bit so it would work with our studio and cast and audience, but my intention was to keep as close to the play as I could. That was tricky because we are using the medium of dance and song to tell the story,” she said. “It was definitely one of the more challenging stories we have ever taken on in terms of story, staging and choreography. There were certainly more than a few rewrites and additions.”
According to Rybar, the most surprising aspect of the production is how the kids have embraced the story itself.
“Many people think Shakespeare is dead among youth but I always felt if you approach the material with enthusiasm and really engage the kids, they would embrace it. I’m glad to say I was right, and all the kids from ages three to 18 have done an amazing job of bringing this legendary comedy to life,” she said. “It’s a bit of a complicated story because of the three plot lines but they have had no problem. And like all Creative Energy Arts Factory shows it’s our special blend of comedy, performance art, theatre and dance.”