Driftwood Players Present
A Sunshine Coast Community Shakespeare Project of
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Shakespeare's beloved comedy of fairies and magic, making gentle fun of young lovers and terrible actors, comes to the Coast in July 2024! Read all about us in the CoastReporter. Ticket price is by donation, suggested donation $20 or pay what you can. Proceeds will benefit the Bev Shaw Literacy Fund.
PERFORMANCES: July 2024
Fri July 5 - 7 pm
Sat July 6 - 2 pm
Fri July 12 - 7 pm
Sat July 13 - 7 pm
At the Rockwood Pavilion, 5511 Shorncliffe Ave, Sechelt, BC
Performance programme (PDF)
REVIEWS!
"Tour de force! A rousing summer entertainment! I was part of the impressive turnout at Rockwood for yesterday’s matinee, and it struck me that you managed to provide all the ingredients of wonderful community theatre: a multi-generational cast and crew, an eye- and ear-pleasing spectacle of music and costume and movement, a laughing and happy audience, and a joyful sense of community." - Dr. Anthony Paré, Professor (Emeritus) UBC Faculty of Education, and Driftwood Players Director
"I just want to let you know how much I enjoyed the performance of Midsummer Night's Dream last night. It was really outstanding in every way - the acting, the sets, the costumes, the music.... It must have been a lot of work. Thanks so much for taking it on!" - Janice Brunson, Director: A Capella Strait, Choralations, and St John's United Church Choirs
"I was in the audience tonight at Midsummer NIght's Dream. What a wonderful evening! Congratulations for pulling this together, and to the cast who gave their all to provide such entertaining performances. Huge kudos to the musicians, costume creators and all of the other folks who contributed their talents to this production. Very very well done!" - Susan Blockberger, singer and performer: SC Phoenix Choir, Pirates of Penzance
"Alex and I enjoyed your wonderful production of Midsummer Night’s Dream so well last night!! Thank you so much! Wow. I am overwhelmed at the spirit and the talent but even more the hard work that was evident in the production! Every participant obviously enjoyed every minute of it! And thank you making the evening a fundraiser for Bev’s foundation. She would have been thrilled. Brava, one and all!" - Mary Baker, SC Phoenix Choir
"Lois and I attended last night’s performance and were absolutely delighted. Please convey our congratulations to the Director and everyone involved in this highly professional performance. We were simply so impressed by the performers, the set, the costumes and of, course, the music." - Jeanette Panagapka and Lois Choksy, Kodaly Society of Canada Honourary Members
"I was at the show last night and was delighted with what you put together! I didn't know what to expect and I was blown away by so many aspects of the show. What an undertaking! I am so impressed! I hope that the journey has been fulfilling and that you woke up this morning with a tremendous feeling of accomplishment! What a perfect venue for that particular play and I'm so glad you decided to do more than one weekend! That amount of work only for one weekend wouldn't have been fair. Plus this gave the Coast audiences more opportunity to see it. Well done! Bravo! Thank you for your work! VERY Sincerely," - Wanda Nowicki, professional actor and singer; former Off the Page staged readings producer
"Methinks I was transported…
I swear I did not slumber there,
But a tale so fantastic,
Full of mirth, tricks and wordplay,
Tickled the sweet midsummer air
And made us all one with another.
A big Well Done to everyone involved and a heart full of thanks for all your hard work." - Richard Austin, professional actor"It was so funny! The body language was fabulous, I haven't laughed so much in a long time! Titania was really wonderful ✨ and Bottom! And the Lovers, and the Wall, and Puck, and Hippolyta, and, and, and! You all really knocked it out of the park! Congratulations on an amazing show!" - Radhika Samwald, former Story Theatre actor and producer
"An amazing production of Midsummer Nights Dream!!!! Thank you for having the inspiration, the vision, the courage, the creativity. The casting is flawless. And the play was fabulous: the makeup (sparkles, flowers, yeah!!) and the sheer physicality of the blocking/ choreography (especially the Mechanicals and the sword fight) and the perfect Puckishness of Puck… I could go on!! We laughed til we cried!!! You are inspiring! I will be back, once is not enough!" - Irene Bradley, Story Theatre actor
PHOTOS AND VIDEO
Sarah and Juno Noni as Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, and Fairy Moth.
Mac Dodge as Theseus, Duke of (a digital) Athens.
Production photos by Michael Gurney and from Marissa Fischer
Video of full show July 13 2024
CAST (in order of appearance)
Mac Dodge...Theseus, Duke of Athens
Sarah Noni...Hippolyta, Bride to Theseus and former Amazon Queen
Maria Nightingale...Attendant to Hippolyta
Marissa Fischer...Philostrate, Master of Revels to Theseus; and Snout/Wall
Lisa Horne...Egeus
Elisabeth Lyle...Hermia
Peter Gray...Demetrius
Gabriel Ditmars...Lysander
Melissah Charboneau...Helena
Penny Connell...Quince
Ean Henninger...Bottom/Pyramus
Thaelo Proctor...Flute/Thisbe
Charlotte Gray...Starveling/Moonshine
Sean Steele...Snug/Lion
Alta O'Farrell...Puck, Fairy servant to Oberon
Maeve Fynn-Richards...Fairy - Peaseblossom
Haelyn Treliving...Fairy - Mustardseed
Juno Noni...Fairy - Moth
Zoe McGregor...Fairy - Cobweb
Patrick Moore...Oberon, King of the Fairies
Joyce Parry-Moore...Titania, Queen of the Fairies
Mathilda Johnson...Changeling Child
Francesca Ryan...Cowslip, Fairy servant to Titania
Laila Iacovetta...Fairy - Snowdrop
DESIGNERS & CREW
Michael Gurney...Director, Producer, Lighting Designer
Lise Kreps...Director, Producer, Dramaturge, Music Director
Bill Forst...Producer for Driftwood Players
Marisa Alps...Producer, House Manager
Tara Blasco...Assistant Director
Charlotte Gray...Stage Manager
Monica Davis...Audition Stage Manager
Francesca Ryan...Fairy Wrangler, Dance Captain
Gabriel Ditmars...Fight Choreographer, Dance Captain
Ingrid Bilton...Consultant, Makeup Assistant
Linda McTurk...Costume Designer
Lynda Carlson...Costume Assistant
Angela Minten...Costume Assistant
Evelyn Schimmel...Makeup Designer
Maggie-Rose Hershler...Makeup Assistant
Dominique Hutchinson...Makeup Assistant
Sarah Kushner...Makeup Assistant
Maria Nightingale...Props Assistant
Megin Houle...Props Assistant
Jeanne Sommerfeld...Props Assistant
Jenny Margueratt...Sound/Lights Operator
Fairy Band:
Karen Baxter...Violas da Gamba
Maureen Drake...Voice, Viola da Gamba
Jon Eriksson...Recorders, Bassoon, Trombone
Lise Kreps...Voice, Recorders, Flute, Viola da Gamba
Heidi Kurz...Voice, Flute, Harp
Juliet O'Keefe...Voice, Harp
Sarah Poon...Viola da Gamba
RenFriends Renaissance Consort...Voices
SPECIAL THANKS TO
Moe & Emmanuel Arbani, Arbani Flooring
Richard Austin
BC Viols Chapter, Viola da Gamba Society of America
Coast Musical Theatre Company
- Musical Revue show here in the Rockwood Pavilion
, July 29, 30, 31, August 5, 6 and 7
Coast Reporter
Trudi Diening
Sara Douglas
Bill Forst
Gibsons & District Public Library
John Leonard
Reverend Vincent Nguyen, Marlene Lodge, & Monica Davis
of Holy Family Church
Janet Oxley
Ian Poole & Keeping the Lights On Committee
of St John’s United Church
Allan Reid
SCFWA Volunteers for our Front of House staff
Synergy At Play Productions - musical theatre camps for kids in July
Karen Weatherington, Reverend Steve Black, & Wardens of St. Hilda’s Anglican Church
All our fabulous cast, designers, and crew,
for volunteering so many hours of their time and talents!
About Midsummer
Midsummer Staged Reading, Winegarden Park, Gibsons, 2022.
With fairies and enchantments, four impetuous young lovers, and a troupe of foolish but well-intentioned amateur thespians so bad they're hysterically funny, Midsummer Night's Dream remains Shakespeare's most popular comedy. "This is the silliest stuff that ever I heard," observes Hippolyta in Act V.
In Shakespeare's day, less than a third of the male population could read, and less than a tenth of the female. Yet people of all ranks enjoyed going to the theatre to "hear a play." Shakespeare is meant to be heard, and seen, rather than read.
Listen to and Watch Midsummer (unabridged)
BBC and Royal Shakespeare Company actors read Midsummer (audio only)
Lord Chamberlain's Men (and they are all men) act Midsummer (traditional British)
For youthful energy and American diction, watch San Diego State University's Midsummer (set in the 1960s)
For spooky atmospherics, watch the 1968 film of Midsummer, with Helen Mirren, Judi Dench, Ian Holm and Ian Richardson
Midsummer Scripts
Midsummer summary, unabridged script and more from Folger Shakespeare Library
Not used to Shakespearean English? Read the side-by-side translation of Midsummer
Original capitalization and spellings in Midsummer (unabridged script):
Our production's Abridged Midsummer Script (v04 as of Apr 19)
Speaking and understanding Shakespeare
ShakespeareWithSarah Youtube channel, including actors' guides to
Characters in Midsummer Night's Dream
Speaking in iambic pentameter
How to act Shakespeare
MyShakespeare Midsummer Youtube channel for students, with scene-by-scene explanations of words, character motivations, etc., in easily-digestible videos of one minute or less; e.g., all the humourous double-entendres in Quince's Prologue.
NoSweatShakespeare Midsummer- modern translation
Midsummer Music: Song and Dances
All the music in our show is from Shakespeare's time.
RenFriends Singers, with the Fairy Band: It Was a Lover and His Lass (sheet music)
Fairies, Cowslip: Lullaby Song and Dance - You Spotted Snakes (tune: Daphne) as performed by the Fairy Band. (voice sheet music with lyrics)
Bottom - Ousel Cock Song (tune: Whoop do me no harm - sheet music)
Titania, Oberon, Fairies, Cowslip - Act IV Sc 1 Fairies' Joyous Reunion Dance (tune: Holborne - Fairy Rounde) This is also our Curtain Call music for everyone. Sheet music score.
Mechanicals - Act V Bergomask Dance (tune: Prateorius - Volta CCI). Sheet music score.
Nobles, Titania, Oberon, Fairies, Puck - Act V Final Blessing Dance (tune: Holborne - Honie-Suckle Almand) Sheet music score.
Youtube playlist of these tunes, plus other music for preshow and transitions between scenes
Curious what Renaissance Dance looked like?
Sunshine Coast Community Shakespeare Project
coastshakespeare ( at ) gmail.com
We are fortunate and grateful to work and play in ch'atlich (Sechelt), on the unceded ancestral lands of the shíshálh Nation.