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.

“Without the current turmoil that’s happening in the Middle East, we have had and are having a number of conflicts around the world,” said John Kuhn, co-directer of the play and artistic director of Actors Theatre. “This play deals with the aftereffects of that.”

Kuhn told WOSU’s theatre critic Joy Reilly that Trojan Woman isn’t about the battle or the Greeks beating the Trojans. It’s about what happens to the women and children afterwords.

“What we see is a small group of women who are waiting to learn their fate. We know that they’ll be made slaves and they’re waiting to find the nature of that slavery,” Kuhn said. “It’s a very gut-wrenching, a very heart-rending, but a very realistic look at the repercussions of war.”

This is the first collaboration between the Columbus School for Girls and the Actors Theatre of Columbus.

“The whole nature of the collaboration, what we wanted to do, was bring to bear some of the resources from Actors’ Theatre,” Kuhn said. “In terms of actors who have a little bit more experience, a little bit more maturity, so that you’re not seeing your traditional high school production, where it’s all high school-aged girls or boys playing all the roles. You’re seeing age-appropriate casting.”

Several local, well-known actors are participating in the show, including Kuhn, who plays the god Poseidon.

“These girls are really working hard and it’s so exciting to see them grow and see them making choices and developing as young actresses, but also really doing amazing work on these very very challenging roles,” Kuhn said.

Trojan Women will open March 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Columbus School for Girls. On March 3 and 4, the performances will be at 8 p.m., and on March 6, there will be a matinee at 4 p.m.

Read More:

• German Village: Actors Theatre of Columbus (Actors Theatre)
• Columbus School for Girls (CSG)