A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, opens August 22nd, 2026
Actors Ensemble's second production of our 2026 Summer Season in the beautiful John Hinkel Park is A Midsummer Night's Dream, by William Shakespeare, adapted and directed by Michael R. Cohen with Ben Prusiner. Free-of-charge, reservations encouraged (especially for those in wheelchairs or with limited mobility) but not necessary. Presented Saturdays/Sundays & holidays beginning Saturday, August 22nd through Labor Day Monday, September 7th, all at 4 p.m. | Reservations | Program | Photos |
A Midsummer Night's Dream is Shakespeare's comical melding of love stories within both the magical forest world of the Fairies and the Athenian court, with the King and Queen of the Fairies, the love quadrangle of Hermia, Demetrius, Lysander and Helena, and the Duke of Athens and his fiance the Queen of the Amazons, all "working things out", with a little intervention by the mischevious Puck and the hapless Mechanicals. A perfect play to end the summer on - join us!
CAST
Egeus - Carolyn Ford Compton
Hermia - AnneJelika Ong Cortez
Francis Flute - Breezy/Desilva
Oberon/Theseus - Arcady Eugene
Puck - linda maria girón
Tom Snout - Keith Jefferds
Bottom - Bruce Kaplan
Titania/Hippolyta - Cynthia Lagodzinski
Snug- Avery May
Robin Starveling - Sarah Mooney
Lysander - Nic Moore
Fairy/Ensemble/Understudy - Eshani More
Fairy/Ensemble/Understudy - Mars Ohayon
Demetrius - Parker Soughers
Peter Quince - Kim Saunders
Helena - Tina Traboulsi
Fairy/Ensemble/Understudy - Comet Ziemer
PRODUCTION
Directed by Michael R. Cohen
Assistant Director & Dramaturgy by Ben Prusiner
Stage Managed by Mary Tran
Costume Design by Lyre Alston
Set Designed by Kirsten Yamaguchi
Properties Designed by Susan Dunn
Music Director and Ukelele by linda maria girón
Fight Choreography by Nic Moore
Keyboards by Keith Jefferds
Kazoo by Mars Ohayon
Graphic Design by Sophie Ruf
Photography by Jane Shamaeva
Concessions Coordination by Greg Gutting
Website by Jonathan Gordon
Producer & Many Other Things by Jerome Solberg
The amphitheatre seats well over 300 people and consists of a series of stone terraces. Low lawnchairs are acceptable, or bring pillows and/or blankets. The amphitheatre is wheelchair accessible with 5 spots for wheelchairs or those who cannot climb steps and/or need a special chair, and 8 benches for wheelchair companions or folks who cannot climb ysteps but can sit on benches , all at ground level - please make a reservation so we can reserve these spots. In addition, for those with limited mobility or hearing issues we will reserve places in the first few rows, which requires climbing a few steps (there are railings). No chairs are provided, please bring your own and/or pillows/blankets. For all others, we encourage you to make a reservation (and make a donation!) so we have some idea of who is coming (helps to plan concessions), but seats are on a first-come/first-served basis. There a single handicap parking spot close to the amphitheatre and some additional spots along Somerset which are reasonably accessible for wheelchairs - we encourage folks to be dropped off.
John Hinkel Park Amphitheatre is at 41 Somerset Pl., Berkeley, CA 94707. Access is via Arlington Avenue, turn right on Southampton, then continue straight onto Somerset. Note that Google Maps will direct you to locations at the top of the park along San Diego Road - quite a hike down. There is very limited parking at the amphitheatre, due to the addition of a playground which swallowed up most of the existing parking. There is some parking along Arlington, Somerset, Southhampton, and San Diego Road - we encourage folks to ride bicycles or use ride services. The closest BART station is the North Berkeley BART. The #7 AC Transit bus stops right at the corner of Arlington and Southampton.
The production lasts about two hours, plus a short intermission.
Actors Ensemble has been producing quality theater with a community flavor since 1957, right around the corner from you. Check out our website, www.aeofberkeley.org, for upcoming events. Such as Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, adapted and directed by Jay Manley, opening October 2nd at Live Oak Theater, Berkeley.
Dramaturgy Notes
The Plot (don’t worry, no spoilers):
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is about the thrills and challenges of love. When the play starts, Duke Theseus of Athens and Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons are planning their wedding. Enter Egeus, a noblewoman whose daughter, Hermia, is in love with the wrong man. Egeus wants Hermia to marry Demetrius, but she’s in love with Lysander.
Hermia only has a few days to agree to either marry Demetrius, become a nun, or be put to death. Hermia and Lysander decide to flee into the forest to elope. They tell Hermia’s best friend, Helena. It turns out Helena is in love with Demetrius, so she tells him everything. Soon all four lovers are wandering around lost in the forest. Meanwhile, a group of working-class artisans (often called “The Mechanicals”) meet to rehearse an amateur play to present at Theseus and Hippolyta’s wedding. They decide the forest is the ideal place to rehearse their production of the tragic love story Pyramus & Thisbe.
In the forest, the powerful fairies King Oberon and Queen Titania are having a lovers’ spat. They are fighting over the custody of a human child stolen by the fairies (often called a “changeling”). Oberon decides to distract Titania from the changeling by using a love potion to trick her into falling in love with an ugly creature in the forest. Oberon then observes Helena and Demetrius fighting and decides to fix their lovers’ quarrel. He asks his servant Robin (often called “Puck”) to use the love potion to make Demetrius fall in love with Helena so they can be happy together. Puck agrees, but will they put the potion on the right person’s eyes? And what mischief will Puck get up to when the Mechanicals show up to rehearse their play? Will all the pairs of lovers find happiness, or will their tales end
in tragedy like Pyramus and Thisbe?
Fun Facts:
No one knows exactly when the play was written, but most scholars think it was around 1595, when Shakespeare was 31 years old. Characters speak in different styles. The Mechanicals usually speak in prose, which doesn’t have a particular rhythm, except when they are performing their play. Other characters speak in verse, which has a rhythm and in this play it often rhymes. See if you notice any words that used to rhyme in Shakespeare’s time but don’t rhyme anymore. Most characters speak verse in something called “iambs” where the first syllable is unstressed and the second is stressed (like “for-SOOTH”). But the fairies sometimes speak in “trochees”, where the stresses are flipped (like “O-ver” or “PRI-thee”). See if you can hear when they switch back and forth – Ben Prusiner, August 2026
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Actors Ensemble
P.O. Box 663
Berkeley, CA 94701
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www.aeofberkeley.org
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