Two River Theater Company Presents A MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM 10/20-11/8

Following a highly successful run at California Shakespeare Theater, Two River Theater Co. is proud to present Shakespeare's most magical and mischievous celebration of fools in love: A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Two River Artistic Director Aaron Posner.

Says director Posner: "This play is a celebration of the follies and foibles of human beings. Love, sex, power, friendship and jealousy all mix together (with a little supernatural help) to make a magical, musical mess that is practically irresistible." Of his cast he adds, "It is one of the most dynamic and delightful casts I have ever seen. We worked closely together to match Shakespeare's playful and intoxicating spirit. We let that be our guide, and then just had a hell of a good time playing in the theatrical forest we created from our collective imaginations."

This dynamic between the cast has been commented on by reviewers and audience members alike: The SFist blog calls them "a great and harmonious ensemble of a cast". Nor has the spirit of the creative process gone unnoticed: The Daily Californian has called it "a magical, creative, and continually surprising production". This is Posner's latest direction of Shakespeare since the widely acclaimed production of Macbeth co-directed by Teller in 2008. It is co-produced with California Shakespeare Theater in Orinda, CA. Two River audiences will remember cast members Erin Weaver (Mary's Wedding), Doug Hara (Our Town), Joe Harrell (ReEntry), Richard Ruiz and Tara Giordano (Frog and Toad). The cast also includes Keith Randolph Smith, Pegge Johnson, Avery Monsen, Bradley Mott, Duane Noch, Lindsey Gates, Richard Thieriot, and Danny Scheie.

A Midsummer Night's Dream begins previews on Tuesday, October 20, opens Saturday, October 24, and runs through Sunday, November 8.

Biographies

Aaron Posner, Director: For nearly 20 years Aaron has worked as a director, playwright, teacher, and consultant in the American professional theater. As a co-founder and former artistic director of Arden Theatre Company in Philadelphia, he directed over 40 productions, taught dozens of classes, and created award-winning educational programs. As a freelance director, Aaron has worked at many of the country's leading regional theaters including Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Folger Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, the Alliance, The Children's Theatre Company and many more. In addition to directing, Aaron is a published playwright and has penned nearly a dozen adaptations of literature. Aaron's most recent adaptations include Mark Twain's A Murder, A Mystery and A Marriage with music by James Sugg; My Name is Asher Lev based on the novel by Chaim Potok; and Sometimes a Great Notion, based on the novel by Ken Kesey. Aaron has won Barrymore Awards for directing and playwriting, two Helen Hayes Awards for direction, and is an Eisenhower Fellow. He is originally from Eugene, Oregon and graduated from Northwestern University.

Lindsey Gates*, Helena: Off-Broadway: Legacy Codes by Cherylene Lee. Regional: Legacy Codes, Hangar Theater; Big River, Music Theater of Wichita; West Coast premieres of Far Away, I Have Loved Strangers, and Current Nobody, Just Theater; and Whisper From the Book of Etiquette by Claire Chaffee, Playwrights Foundation. Lake George Theater Lab: Kitchen Sink Play, OTMA, Belle of Amherst, and the American premiere of Performances by Brian Friel. Television/Film: "Strangers with Candy", Comedy Central ; "Vamps", Universal; "L.A. Firefighters", Fox; "Steam" (written by her husband), and "Lost in Translation". Ms. Gates is a proud graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts (Circle in the Square / Classical Studio).

Tara Giordano*, P.T. Quince: is delighted to return to Two River Theater where she has appeared in The Underpants, A Year with Frog and Toad, and has taught for TRTC's educational programs. She has performed at Arena Stage, McCarter Theater, Kennedy Center, New York Theater Workshop, Theater Alliance (Headsman's Holiday dir. by Aaron Posner), and others. Recent credits include: Citizen Ruth at the Minetta Lane Theatre, Heidi in Heidi at Imagination Stage, Is He Dead? at Olney Theater, and a principal role in the independent feature film "YellowBrickRoad". She first studied and performed Shakespeare in high school with Shakespeare and Co. and continued at Middlebury College and beyond.