The story begins in Athens where we meet Theseus, a great military commander, a few days before he is to marry Hippolyta, a queen from a distant land. A prominent citizen named Egeus arrives, asking for Theseus’ support in dealing with his daughter, Hermia. Egeus wants her to marry a young man named Demetrius but Hermia has refused, because she’s in love with someone else – Lysander. Her father is determined to get his way and he draws on an ancient law that gives Hermia three stark choices: marry Demetrius, become a nun, or die!

In desperation, Hermia and Lysander decide to run away – but first they share the secret plan with Hermia’s friend Helena. Helena is deeply in love with Demetrius and she tells their secret to him. Demetrius follows the fleeing couple, Helena follows Demetrius, and soon, all four are in the wood outside of town.

In another part of Athens, a group of tradespeople are preparing a play in honour of Theseus and Hippolyta’s wedding. Peter Quince has written it and he wants the title roles to be played by two co-workers, Bottom and Flute, with smaller parts for Snout, Starveling, and Snug. Bottom wants to play all the juicy roles, but eventually she settles for just the lead. The group decides to rehearse in the wood outside of town, to keep the performance a surprise for the wedding celebrations.

That wood is also the home of Oberon and Titania, rulers of the fairy realm, and their followers. They usually live in harmony with the natural world – but that harmony is now broken because Oberon and Titania are fighting over custody of a child. Oberon wants to get revenge on Titania, so he asks the fairy Puck to get him a magical flower with juices that make a sleeping person fall madly in love with the first creature they see when they wake up. He uses it on Titania so she will fall in love with one of the beasts in the forest. He also asks Puck to use it to help one of the young Athenian lovers. But Puck makes a critical mistake…

The scene is now set for these three groups’ stories to play out and connect. There will be misunderstandings and confusion, battling egos, love gone wrong – and finally made right. Come along and enjoy the adventure!

It’s been a full two years since this production, originally planned for 2020, was cancelled a few days before rehearsals were due to begin. After such a long time away, welcome back to this theatre in the park. Welcome to our Dream.

This play holds a special significance here at Bard on the Beach. This is the play that started the company back in 1990, and it’s a show that the company has returned to at special times, including the 10th and 25th anniversary seasons. I have had the pleasure of performing in five separate productions, all at Bard, since 1990.

One of the most beautiful qualities this play holds is its malleability. Shakespeare created a mix of dramatic styles and took his inspiration from several different literary sources, so there are a multitude of ways to present it to an audience. It also contains magic, which is always an invitation for the audience to suspend its disbelief more deeply and bring their own imaginations to bear.We have employed the 1920s as a general palette, with additions. I was drawn to this era as a reference for its historical similarities to our own current climate: military unrest, civil strife, a global pandemic – a world in trouble; one that reflects our time. It’s a struggling and unsettled place in deep need of renewal, one in which a journey into the dark woods may provide some answers, and a pathway toward a brighter future together.

We are excited to be collaborating with the SFU School for the Contemporary Arts for this production. Several fairies will be played by senior students from their Dance program. We will also have talking trees, creepy goblins, a few rewrites, and other surprises to bring to this story – one of young people in search of hearts’ desire; of political figures seeking a path forward; of supernatural powers out of balance, and perhaps, most importantly, a group of actors trying to stage a play under trying circumstances.

I’m writing this in April, six weeks before the start of rehearsals, before the artists have come together to build the experience you are about to see – before we really know what our Dream will be. In a way, this note is attempting to tell the future.The future is, of course, unknowable, until it arrives. And then it’s gone. Just like theatre.

I hope you enjoy our Dream.

– Scott Bellis, Director