Directed by David Stretton
Producers: David Stretton & Sharon Malone

Performed outdoors at the Bandstand in Memorial Peace Park, Maple Ridge
July 22-23, 2005

Puck plays precociously with hearts
in Athens of olde

The Cast

Theseus, Duke of Athens
Jeffrey B. Love
Hippolita, Queen of the Amazons
Tiana Malone
Philostrate, Master of the Revels David L. DeRekter
Egeus, Father of Helena Vince Pallone
Hermia Bobbie Charette
Demetrius Mat Marchand
Lysander Daniel Rempel
Helena Emily Livingston
Puck, or Robin Goodfellow
Natalie Gray
Fairy ‘Spirit’ Hannah Jeffery
Oberon, King of the Fairies
Brandyn Eddy
Titania, Queen of the Fairies Christine Day
Peter Quince, the Carpenter
Aaron Davis
Nick Bottom, the Weaver (Pyramus) Phil Gray
Francis Flute, the Bellows-Mender (Thisby) Richard Wiens
Tom Snout, the Tinker (wall)
Damian Craig
Snug, the Joiner (Lion)
Jayson Thompson
Robin Starveling, the Tailor (moonshine) Russ Davidson Trumpeter Casey Hensrud
Robin Starveling’s Dog Barkley
The Faeries Jordan Karrys, Carla Grey, Bronte Kiera Campbell

The Crew

Co-Producers Sharon Malone
& David Stretton
Director David Stretton
Stage Manager June Ainsworth
Assistant Stage Managers Meris Goodman & Joanna Pastorek
Costume Designer Charlene Rowley
Costumes Charlene Rowley, Tiana Malone
Key Make-up Artist Jennifer Andres
Make-up Assistants Charlene Dunn & Christine Garrett
Stage Design Laverne Hollinshead
Set ConstructionLaverne Hollinshead, Eric Dezeeuw
Properties Meris Goodman, Joanna Pastorek, June Ainsworth
Technical John Stuart
Technical Assistant Alexis Johnson
Stage Hand Rory MacRury
House Manager Sharon Malone

Shakesperience Coordinator Sharon Watts
Assistant Coordinators Terry Stretton, Carole Dagenais and Iris Cunningham
Sponsorship & Advertising Terry Stretton, Iris Cunningham
Fundraising Team Bob Cunningham, Christine Day, David Stretton, Carole Dagenais, Jeffrey Love, Bobbie Charette, Vince Pallone, Tim Karrys
Publicity David Stretton, Jeffrey Love, Iris Cunningham, Terry Stretton
Poster Art Amanda Karrys
Poster, Handbill, Signage and Ads Jeffrey B. Love
Program Terry Stretton
Raffle Organiser Iris Cunningham

This was our first Shakespeare production, our first summer show, the first time anyone has staged a play on the Bandstand (we think), and to top it off, admission was free!

A Midsummer Night’s Dream’s brilliant blend of romance, humour, and magic made it a perfect evening’s entertainment for all ages. Many came out Saturday afternoon before the show for ‘The Shakesperience’, a potpourri of entertainments and diversions from a time long ago.

The production was made possible by the generous support of businesses and individuals in Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, and neighbouring municipalities ( The full List » ).

Oberon rules the forest

SYNOPSIS OF THE PLAY

As Duke Theseus prepares for his marriage to Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, he is interrupted by Egeus. This courtier seeks the Duke's intervention because his daughter, Hermia, will not agree to his choice of Demetrius for her husband as she loves Lysander. The Duke urges Hermia to be obedient to her father, otherwise she must either die, or accept a celibate life in Diana's temple. Lysander and Hermia plan to elope, and their secret is shared with Helena, whose love for Demetrius has been scorned. At night the lovers escape from Athens but they lose their way in the woods. They are followed by Demetrius, and by Helena, who has told him of their intention to defy the law.

The ‘Mechanicals’ play for the Duke and Dutchess

Nearby, Oberon, king of the fairies, has quarrelled with his queen, Titania, over a page-boy she refuses to give him. Oberon overhears Helena and Demetrius arguing and sends his mischievous servant, Puck, to seek a love-potion flower to anoint Demetrius. Mistaking the Athenian he seeks, Puck puts the flower juice on the eyes of the sleeping Lysander so that when he is woken by Helena he immediately loves her and rejects Hermia.

That night a group of working men are preparing a play on the tragic love-story of Pyramus and Thisbe to present before Theseus on his wedding day. Bottom, the weaver, is to play the lover, Pyramus, while Flute, the bellows-mender, agrees, under protest, to play Thisbe. Their fellows play the parts of the Moon, the Wall and the Lion and they are directed by Quince, the carpenter. Their rehearsals in the wood are overheard by Puck who plays a trick on them by giving Bottom an ass's head which frightens the others away. Bottom is lured towards the sleeping Titania whom Oberon has anointed with his magic flower juice. On waking, the fairy queen falls in love with the ass and entertains him with her fairies, but when Bottom falls asleep beside her, Oberon restores Titania ?S sight and wakes her. After expressing her dismay at the sight of Bottom she is reconciled to Oberon.

The ass's head is removed and Bottom returns to the city to rejoin his friends as they prepare to give their play. Meanwhile the lovers' arguments tire them out as they chase one another through the woods and when Demetrius rests, Oberon puts magic juice on his eyes so that both he and Lysander pursue Helena until the four lovers fall asleep, exhausted. Puck puts restorative juice on Lysander's eyes before the lovers are woken by Theseus and Hippolyta and their dawn hunting party. Happily reunited to each other, Lysander with Hermia, Demetrius with Helena, they agree to share the Duke's wedding day. Later the play of 'Pyramus and Thisbe' is presented before the wedding guests. As the three couples retire to bed Puck and the fairies return to bless the palace and its people.

'A Midsummer Night's Dream' was written about 1594-95 and was first printed in 1600.

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