Animal Fire Theatre’s production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, opening Friday, July 4, promises magic, fairies, love potions and a few surprises — all unfolding, as Shakespeare intended, in a glade, an open space surrounded by trees in Lacey’s Wonderwood Park.
“It’s the perfect location,” said assistant director Aaron Gotzon. “There’s a huge tree right in the middle of this clearing with no other trees around it, and we’re adding lights and additional trees that we’ve made to transform it into the fairy kingdom.”
The madcap action includes twists and turns in the romances of fairies Oberon (Scott Douglas, who runs Animal Fire with husband Brian Hatcher) and Titania (Kimberlee McDaniel Wolfson) and hapless humans Demetrius (Adam Ashcraft), Lysander (Kalen McCrea), Helena (Anne “Lorrie” Tracy) and Hermia (Isabel Nixon Klein). Fueling the chaos is the mischievous sprite Puck (Korja Giles).
And then there’s a ridiculous play within the play, Pyramus and Thisbe, centered around another romance and performed by a motley crew of actors including the goofy Bottom (Gotzon), who wishes he could play every role. Rounding out the cast are Samantha Chandler, Sebastian de la Cruz, Karen Longo, Maxwell Reister and Ed Thorpe.
Besides serving as by far the most enthusiastic member of the Pyramus cast, Bottom finds himself embroiled in a fairy scheme. “It’s a lot of fun playing Bottom,” Gotzon said. “He has a heart of gold. He sees magic in the world, and it’s confirmed to be true. He wants everyone else to see it, too.”
The timing was right to return to Midsummer’s merriment, said Brian Hatcher, who’s directing. Animal Fire previously produced the show in 2011, the year he and Douglas joined the company as actors.
“Midsummer is something that I think we all need back in our lives — the magic and the mystery of all the human connection, love and lust and grandeur and all of that,” Hatcher said. “We need to bring this levity back.
“The last couple shows we did had a heaviness to them — Measure for Measure and King Henry IV,” he added. “We decided that this was the time to go light.”
Adding to the fun: Douglas, who edited the script for this summer’s production, added Easter eggs, subtle elements that contribute another layer of meaning. “Those who have an ear for Shakespeare will hopefully be able to hear some of these fun little Easter eggs,” Hatcher said.
Animal Fire, which last year produced Uncle Vanya at Olympia’s Lord Mansion, is interested in expanding its season, he said. “That’s always on our docket. It always boils down to whether we have the capacity to do more.”
The board hopes to produce a revamped version of An Iliad, a one-person update on Homer’s Trojan War classic that Douglas performed just before the pandemic.
Photos by Brad Rinke and Adam Ashcraft.
WHAT:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
WHEN:
7 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in July
WHERE:
Wonderwood Park (near the tennis courts), 5304 32nd Ave. SE, Lacey
TICKETS:
Free, with donations appreciated
LEARN MORE:
https://animalfiretheatre.com
ALSO:
Bring insect repellent and a chair or blanket