On Saturday, October 6, a classic East New York block party becomes the enchanted setting where fairies work their mischief in Shakespeare's beloved comedy "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
The Local Development Corporation of East New York, in partnership with the Public Theater's Mobile Unit, brings the classic play with a modern twist to the North Brooklyn YMCA for a free, one-afternoon-only performance.
Acclaimed director Jenny Koons takes the audience to the royal wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta, where a celebratory play is being rehearsed. But the real drama is unfolding in the concrete jungle of fairy King Oberon. There, four young New Yorkers discover that the course of true love runs anything but smooth, as fairies and the lovable Puck conspire to reveal what fools we mortals be, and draw us all into the collective dream of romance and merriment.
Lilly Award winner Koons' directing credits include Burn All Night at American Repertory Theater; Airness at Humana and the Actors Theatre of Louisville; and Theatre for One: In This Moment at Pershing Square Signature Center, among others. A Midsummer Night's Dream will feature scenic design by Kimie Nishikawa, costume design by Hahnji Jang, and original compositions by Sean Hagerty.
The Public Theater Mobile Unit, a reinvention of Joseph Papp's Mobile Shakespeare program which evolved into the NYC Shakespeare Festival, launched in 1957with the simple idea that theater belongs to everyone. Now in its eighth year, the Mobile Unit meets audiences where they are by presenting world-class Shakespeare and other works in recreation centers, prisons, senior centers, schools and other community gathering places across the five boroughs.
A Midsummer Night's Dream
When: Saturday, October 6, 4:00pm
Where: North Brooklyn YMCA, 570 Jamaica Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11208
How much: Free! To RSVP, go here.
