In 1982, Actors’ presented Midsummeras their first show in the park which makes it an ideal selection for the anniversary season. Thirty years later, this imaginative tale of intricate relationships, mischievous fairies, and unexpected surprises still captivates Schiller Park audience members.

This celebratory production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is co-directed by Beth Kattelman and Dee Shepherd. They decided to utilize animated puppets to serve as fairies and to bring humorous theatrical moments to life.

“The puppets are so colorful and interesting in the way that they interact,” says Kattelman.

She acknowledges the challenges an actor experiences when handling a puppet. In her opinion, the most effective puppeteers fully immerse themselves in their task, allowing their puppet to elicit response from the audience.  For Midsummer,Kattelman provided many first-time puppeteers with essential advice:

“Make sure the emotion goes down your arm and into the puppet.”

Kattelman possesses a variety of puppets in her collection, including her personal favorite, the delightfully entertaining Arts Cat.

In addition to being a co-director, Kattelman designed and constructed the puppets. She also incorporated puppetry into Actors’ 2009 well-received performance of As You Like It (co-directed with Artistic Director John S. Kuhn). The production’s success inspired Kattelman and Shepherd to incorporate puppets into A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Kattelman adds that Midsummer “is such a favorite…one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies.” She especially enjoys the moment when “[the boastful Nick] Bottom’s head turns into a donkey’s head…we’ve done that with a puppet.”

The actors’ comical reactions to the transformation invite several slap-stick antics, and the puppets add a memorable component to the overall production.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream runs every Thursday-Sunday until July 31 (all performances at 8:00pm). The performances are located at Schiller Park in German Village (1000 City Park Ave, Columbus, OH 43206). No need to purchase tickets. It is free and open to the public, although donations are greatly appreciated. Bring a blanket or chair, a picnic and drinks, and enjoy William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

It’s perfect summer fun for all ages!

To learn more about Actors’ Theatre you can visit their website or follow them on Facebook or Twitter.

The Actors’ Theatre of Columbus, the volunteer troupe that hosts Shakespeare in the Park, aims to present free performances of Shakespeare and other classical works with themes that are relevant today, said John S. Kuhn, the Actor’s Theatre creative director.

This summer’s season started with The Scarlet Pimpernel, a play and novel by Baroness Orczy about the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror that was published in 1905.

Kuhn, who adapted and directed the play, said in his adaptation, the bulk of the text is Orczy’s, but he did add four fight scenes.

“If you’re gonna carry a sword onstage, you’re gonna have to use it,” Kuhn told WOSU theatre critic Joy Reilly. ”Everybody fights.”

Beth Josephsen, who plays the female protagonist, said she has a fight scene.

“The last fight scene has everyone, including all of the females in the cast, which is not outside the realm of possibility, because in the French Revolution, there were women who were fighting,” Josephsen said.

The play is seen through the eyes of Josephsen’s character, Lady Blakeney, who tries to discover the Scarlet Pimpernel’s identity.

Kuhn said a scarlet pimpernel is a small English flower that the hero uses as a symbol of his presence. Whenever the Scarlet Pimpernel rescues a member of the French aristocracy, he sends a note emblazoned with the red flower to the prosecutor in Paris. The group of people that help rescue the French aristocrats become known as the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel.

“Despite our perhaps modern cynicism, there’s something very appealing about someone who puts themselves out, sacrifices for a noble ideal,” Kuhn said. “It’s a romantic notion, but it’s very appealing still, in a world where we don’t often have opportunities to explore that.”

The Scarlet Pimpernel opened May 26 and will run through June 26. From June 30 – July 31, the Actors’ Theatre will perform Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. From August 4 – Sept. 4, it will perform Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. All shows are presented in Schiller Park in German Village on Thursday – Sunday at 8 p.m.

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Read More: Actors Theatre of Columbus (Actors Theatre)