By KATIE V. JONES
Courtesy of Megan Merchant
The 11th season of Prince George’s County’s Shakespeare in the Parks performances kicked off a little late this year — not because the cast and crew of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” were behind schedule, but because the outdoor setting didn’t cooperate.
A heat advisory on June 25 canceled the troupe’s first performance even before the cast finished dress rehearsals days before. The performance would have taken place in Bowie.
“Last year, we did ‘The Tempest,’ and half the shows were canceled due to weather,” Katie Bogdan, an actor from Ellicott City, said. “Smoke from Canada, rain, heat.”
Produced and run by Prince George’s County Parks and Recreation Department, Shakespeare in the Parks travels around both Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, offering free theater productions at various outdoor venues.
“They are community engagement events,” Megan Merchant, the show’s producer and the arts specialist for Prince George’s County Parks and Recreation, said. “[Our] funding is tax payers’ dollars. It generates job opportunities for actors.”
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” will take place on the grounds of Montpelier House Mansion on July 12. On July 13, it will touch down at David C. Driskell Community Park in Hyattsville.
“Each site has its own challenges,” Merchant said. “We try for open spaces to meet people where they are at.”
The troupe performs on a small stage and sets up two tents for quick costume changes. Live music is provided by a handful of musicians on a small side stage.
“Everything is set up before we get there,” Kayla Earl said. Earl, a Hyattsville resident, is a first-time performer with the troupe. “Break down, we are part of. The cast helps with that. We will rehearse for that,” she added.
Earl noted that she is used to performing outside, as she worked as an entertainer at Six Flags Amusement Park in Bowie,
“I sang and danced in various types of weather. Extreme cold, heat, rain. I did that,” she said. “Stay hydrated and eat. There are precautions if it is too hot or the air quality is too bad.”
Earl is new to Shakespeare, however, and this is also her first professional part.
“This has been a very interesting and beautiful introduction,” she said. “I didn’t really love [Shakespeare] in school. It was harder for me to see myself in his work. This experience has been really nice.”
Earl noted that her fellow castmates have given her tips on what to expect at certain locations. Though all the actors have mics, they still have to project their voices, she said, which can be a challenge in different venues.
Robert Liniak, an actor from Gaithersburg, said that each new location provides an “opportunity for the show to feel brand new each time.”
“You go with things as they come up,” he said. “It is so much fun to be outside. You can see everybody. When you do Shakespeare, you really want to have that connection with the audience.”
Courtesy of Megan Merchant
Bogdan said she loves performing Shakespeare, and added that it has been a “delight to see everyone rise” to the director’s vision for “A Midsummer NIght’s Dream.”
“Everyone is very giving and want[s] to be here,” Bogdan said adding, “‘Midsummer Night’ is so funny.” (The play is categorized as a comedy.)
This production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” takes place in 2013 in the fictional town of Athens, Md., though characters speak in the Old English-style Shakespeare wrote. It tells the story of four young lovers, fairies and other characters exploring desire, love and illusion.
“We’ve had a really good time putting this show together,” Liniak said. “I’m excited to be a part of it.”
Show dates for Shakespeare in the Parks “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”
July 12, 7:30 p.m., Montpelier grounds, 9650 Muirkirk Road, Laurel
July 13, 7:30 p.m., David D. Driskell Community Park, 3911 Hamilton St., Hyattsville
July 14, 3 p.m. Prince George’s Publick Playhouse, 5445 Landover Road, Cheverly
