Production opens eight-show run Feb. 27 in the Robert E. Will Theatre
By Paige Monopoli
 |
| Cast members Mia Victorino (Helena), Chayla Valentine (Puck), Tatiana Sullivan (Demetrius), Max Hunter (Lysander), and Abbey Pezza (Hermia), (l-r) lead URI Theatre’s production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which opens for an eight-show run on Feb. 27. (URI Photos/Jesse Dufault) |
On the shortest night of the year, the magical and mortal worlds collide. What could possibly go wrong? Shakespeare gives us a clue: “The course of true love never did run smooth.”
The University of Rhode Island Theatre Department’s
production of the beloved Shakespearean comedy, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” will
open on Feb. 27 in the Robert E. Will Theatre. A tale of
mischief and merriment, four stories are cleverly woven together: the marriage
of the Athenian duke to the Amazon queen; a spat between the fairy king and
queen; the follies of four lovers; and the hilarious antics of amateur actors
staging a play. When the exhilarating night in the forest finally resolves to
(almost) everyone’s satisfaction, a new day of joy and reconciliation dawns.
This will be the first URI production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” since 2003, giving the artists and collaborators a fresh canvas to paint. Director and URI faculty member Tracy Liz Miller will explore themes of love, illusion, and the transformative power of dreams with an unexpected backdrop of the 1930s. With a deep love for jazz music and dance, Miller plans to bring the show to life with student dramaturg Bridget Fullam ’27; guest scenic designer Cassandra Lentz, who will emphasize an Art Deco style; and costume designer Alison Carrier. Student designer Amelia Connor-McCoy ’27 and student costume assistant Jake DeShiro ’27 are also on the team.
“I’m excited to direct this version of ‘Midsummer’ for
several reasons. It’s a play I’m very familiar with, yet each time I crack it
open, it sings to me in different ways,” said Miller. “Bridget Fullam is doing
a fabulous job as our dramaturg. She’s done a deep dive into the world and
cultural influence that jazz had in the 1930s. At the time it was very
inclusive and it was about getting into rooms with live music and partner
dancing. There was a lot of community involvement.”
Movement and physicality quickly became a priority for Miller with casting, which coincided with the spring musical (“Ride the Cycone”) auditions. This gave Miller the opportunity to see students move and sing, as they auditioned for both productions. (A Shakespearean soliloquy performed directly to the audience is not all that different from singing a solo in a musical.) Before cracking into the heightened text, actors could viscerally bring characters like Puck and The Lovers to life.
The department deliberately selects a classic work every
year, ranging from the Bard to Moliere, offering students a challenge to sink
their teeth into heightened text. It also provides foundational skills for
actors approaching any text, classical or contemporary. Theater students are
taught from freshman year onward the importance of being specific with
communication. They learn how to lift verse language from the page so that the
audience can hear it.
“With Shakespeare, there’s always the fear that the audience won’t understand it, so we want to approach it so that it feels very visceral and physical,” said Miller.
Rachel Walshe, assistant professor, and Tony Estrella, guest
instructor, also contribute to developing these skills in the classroom and
during rehearsals. Walshe works with first-year students, Miller works with
sophomores, and Estrella works with juniors and seniors. Because of this
foundation, younger classmates are able to learn directly from their older
peers.
Miller also has experience teaching and consulting as an
intimacy coordinator, a relatively new tool used in film and plays to ensure
consent and safety between actors. “It’s very empowering and freeing once the
technique and skills are learned,” she said. “Midsummer” looks at themes of
love through a kaleidoscope, and presents a variety of intimate interactions
amongst the cast. With the help of guest artist Sacha Comrie (“His &
Hers” (Netflix), “One Spoon of Chocolate,” Tribeca Film
Festival), students will learn from an industry professional in the classroom
and in the rehearsal space.
Theater students also had a hand in selecting the play for
the 2025-26 season. Each year, the Theatre Department calls for submissions
early in the spring semester from students, alumni, staff, and faculty for
plays and musicals to consider for the next theatrical season. As the team
started to narrow down their options, it became important to Miller to select
something that activates joy. In fact, Miller was a proponent for this show
before she was assigned to be the director because the students will inevitably
come across it in their professional lives. Through this experience, student
actors and designers will have an academic and referential relationship to the
show.
“Our productions are our labs,” Miller said. “Our ultimate
goal, regardless of the material, is to help students build skills to be
generative artists.”
The beauty of any of Shakespeare’s works is its
universality. While personal and global worries ebb and flow, turning over
stones to better understand humanity, serves as an antidote. Miller’s goal for
students to be joyful and experiment with play is seamlessly woven into the
fabric of this unique production.
“Our students are just incredible,” she said. “We set a very
high standard, and they always meet it.”
In addition to an eight-show run, the production is offering
a special performance to Rhode Island high schools. The Theatre Department has
invited 350 students from seven local schools. The March 6 performance, made
possible by a gift from Mary Higgins, URI class of ’67, will be followed by a
talkback featuring cast and creative team members expanding the theater
experience to a wide variety of students and exposing them to the possibility
of a vibrant and varied career in the arts.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream runs Feb. 27-28, and
March 4-7 at 7:30 p.m. and March 1 and 8 at 2 p.m. in the Robert E. Will
Theatre at the Fine Arts Center, 105 Upper College Road, Kingston Campus.
Tickets are $22 for the general public and $20 for senior citizens and URI
students, faculty and staff. Tickets can be purchased online, by calling (401)
874-5843 or at the box office in Room 101H of the Fine Arts Center. https://web.uri.edu/theatre/buy-tickets/
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Cast
Abbey Pezza (Hermia/Fairy)
Aliza Almonte (Francis Flute the Bellows Mender/First Fairy)
Brandon Tallardy (Oberon/Theseus)
Chayla Valentine (Puck/Philostrate)
Chelsea Taylor (Tom Snout the Tinker/Moth)
Emersyn Nutting (Robin Starveling the Tailor/Cobweb)
Isaiah Agabi (Snug the Joiner/Mustardseed)
Jena Hindy (Peter Quince/Peaseblossom)
Jeremy Rodriguez (Nick Bottom the Weaver/Egeus)
Max Hunter (Lysander/Fairy)
Mia Victorino (Helena/Fairy)
Princess Johnson (Tatiania/Hippolyta)
Tatiana Sullivan (Demetrius/Fairy)
Piper Colyar (U/S Hippolyta/Tatiania/Helena/Fairy)
Dylan Tallardy (U/S Theseus/Oberon/Lysander/Fairy)
Eva St. Germain (U/S Peter Quince/Peaseblossom/Robin Starveling/Cobweb)
Evan Asfour (U/S Tom Snout/Moth/Snug/Mustardseed)
Gabriella Stein (U/S Puck/Philostrate/Hermia/Fairy)
Jonathan Kish (U/S Demetrius/Bottom/Egeus/Fairy)
Emma Cotter (U/S Francis Flute/First Fairy)
