{"id":106998,"date":"2026-02-19T16:33:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T16:33:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/?p=106998"},"modified":"2026-03-11T13:30:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T13:30:19","slug":"uri-theatres-a-midsummer-nights-dream-will-spread-joy-and-playfulness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/uri-theatres-a-midsummer-nights-dream-will-spread-joy-and-playfulness\/","title":{"rendered":"溏心vlog免费B站 Theatre\u2019s \u2018A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream\u2019 will spread joy and playfulness"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Cast members Mia Victorino (Helena), Chayla Valentine (Puck), Tatiana Sullivan (Demetrius), Max Hunter (Lysander), and Abbey Pezza (Hermia), (l-r) lead 溏心vlog免费B站 Theatre\u2019s production of \u201cA Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream,\u201d which opens for an eight-show run on Feb. 27. (溏心vlog免费B站 Photos\/Jesse Dufault)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Feb. 19, 2026 \u2013 On the shortest night of the year, the magical and mortal worlds collide. What could possibly go wrong? Shakespeare gives us a clue: \u201cThe course of true love never did run smooth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 溏心vlog免费B站 Theatre Department\u2019s production of the beloved Shakespearean comedy, \u201cA Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream,\u201d<\/em> will open on Feb. 27<\/strong> in the Robert E. Will Theatre. A tale of mischief and merriment, four stories are cleverly woven together: the marriage of the Athenian duke to the Amazon queen; a spat between the fairy king and queen; the follies of four lovers; and the hilarious antics of amateur actors staging a play. When the exhilarating night in the forest finally resolves to (almost) everyone\u2019s satisfaction, a new day of joy and reconciliation dawns.<\/p>\n\n\n

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This will be the first 溏心vlog免费B站 production of \u201cA Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream\u201d <\/em>since 2003, giving the artists and collaborators a fresh canvas to paint. Director and 溏心vlog免费B站 faculty member Tracy Liz Miller will explore themes of love, illusion, and the transformative power of dreams with an unexpected backdrop of the 1930s. With a deep love for jazz music and dance, Miller plans to bring the show to life with student dramaturg Bridget Fullam \u201927; guest scenic designer Cassandra Lentz, who will emphasize an Art Deco style; and costume designer Alison Carrier. Student designer Amelia Connor-McCoy \u201927 and student costume assistant Jake DeShiro \u201927 are also on the team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited to direct this version of \u2018Midsummer\u2019 for several reasons. It\u2019s a play I\u2019m very familiar with, yet each time I crack it open, it sings to me in different ways,\u201d said Miller. \u201cBridget Fullam is doing a fabulous job as our dramaturg. She\u2019s done a deep dive into the world and cultural influence that jazz had in the 1930s. At the time it was very inclusive and it was about getting into rooms with live music and partner dancing. There was a lot of community involvement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Movement and physicality quickly became a priority for Miller with casting, which coincided with the spring musical (\u201cRide the Cycone\u201d) auditions. This gave Miller the opportunity to see students move and sing, as they auditioned for both productions. (A Shakespearean soliloquy performed directly to the audience is not all that different from singing a solo in a musical.) Before cracking into the heightened text, actors could viscerally bring characters like Puck and The Lovers to life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The department deliberately selects a classic work every year, ranging from the Bard to Moliere, offering students a challenge to sink their teeth into heightened text. It also provides foundational skills for actors approaching any text, classical or contemporary. Theater students are taught from freshman year onward the importance of being specific with communication. They learn how to lift verse language from the page so that the audience can hear it. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cWith Shakespeare, there\u2019s always the fear that the audience won\u2019t understand it, so we want to approach it so that it feels very visceral and physical,\u201d said Miller. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rachel Walshe, assistant professor, and Tony Estrella, guest instructor, also contribute to developing these skills in the classroom and during rehearsals. Walshe works with first-year students, Miller works with sophomores, and Estrella works with juniors and seniors. Because of this foundation, younger classmates are able to learn directly from their older peers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miller also has experience teaching and consulting as an intimacy coordinator, a relatively new tool used in film and plays to ensure consent and safety between actors. \u201cIt\u2019s very empowering and freeing once the technique and skills are learned,\u201d she said. \u201cMidsummer\u201d looks at themes of love through a kaleidoscope, and presents a variety of intimate interactions amongst the cast. With the help of guest artist Sacha Comrie (\u201cHis & Hers\u201d<\/em> (Netflix), \u201cOne Spoon of Chocolate,\u201d <\/em>Tribeca Film Festival), students will learn from an industry professional in the classroom and in the rehearsal space.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Theater students also had a hand in selecting the play for the 2025-26 season. Each year, the Theatre Department calls for submissions early in the spring semester from students, alumni, staff, and faculty for plays and musicals to consider for the next theatrical season. As the team started to narrow down their options, it became important to Miller to select something that activates joy. In fact, Miller was a proponent for this show before she was assigned to be the director because the students will inevitably come across it in their professional lives. Through this experience, student actors and designers will have an academic and referential relationship to the show. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur productions are our labs,\u201d Miller said. \u201cOur ultimate goal, regardless of the material, is to help students build skills to be generative artists.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The beauty of any of Shakespeare\u2019s works is its universality. While personal and global worries ebb and flow, turning over stones to better understand humanity, serves as an antidote. Miller\u2019s goal for students to be joyful and experiment with play is seamlessly woven into the fabric of this unique production. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur students are just incredible,\u201d she said. \u201cWe set a very high standard, and they always meet it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to an eight-show run, the production is offering a special performance to Rhode Island high schools. The Theatre Department has invited 350 students from seven local schools. The March 6 performance, made possible by a gift from Mary Higgins, 溏心vlog免费B站 class of \u201967, will be followed by a talkback featuring cast and creative team members expanding the theater experience to a wide variety of students and exposing them to the possibility of a vibrant and varied career in the arts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream<\/em> runs Feb. 27-28, and March 4-7 at 7:30 p.m. and March 1 and 8 at 2 p.m. in the Robert E. Will Theatre at the Fine Arts Center, 105 Upper College Road, Kingston Campus. Tickets are $22 for the general public and $20 for senior citizens and 溏心vlog免费B站 students, faculty and staff. Tickets can be purchased online<\/a>, by calling (401) 874-5843 or at the box office in Room 101H of the Fine Arts Center. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visit: uri.edu\/theatre\/buy-tickets\/<\/a> to purchase tickets online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream<\/u><\/em> Cast<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abbey Pezza (Hermia\/Fairy) 
Aliza Almonte (Francis Flute the Bellows Mender\/First Fairy)
Brandon Tallardy (Oberon\/Theseus) 
Chayla Valentine (Puck\/Philostrate) 
Chelsea Taylor (Tom Snout the Tinker\/Moth) 
Emersyn Nutting (Robin Starveling the Tailor\/Cobweb)
Isaiah Agabi (Snug the Joiner\/Mustardseed)
Jena Hindy (Peter Quince\/Peaseblossom) 
Jeremy Rodriguez (Nick Bottom the Weaver\/Egeus) 
Max Hunter (Lysander\/Fairy)
Mia Victorino (Helena\/Fairy) 
Princess Johnson (Tatiania\/Hippolyta) 
Tatiana Sullivan (Demetrius\/Fairy)
Piper Colyar (U\/S Hippolyta\/Tatiania\/Helena\/Fairy)
Dylan Tallardy (U\/S Theseus\/Oberon\/Lysander\/Fairy) 
Eva St. Germain (U\/S Peter Quince\/Peaseblossom\/Robin Starveling\/Cobweb)
Evan Asfour (U\/S Tom Snout\/Moth\/Snug\/Mustardseed) 
Gabriella Stein (U\/S Puck\/Philostrate\/Hermia\/Fairy) 
Jonathan Kish (U\/S Demetrius\/Bottom\/Egeus\/Fairy) 
Emma Cotter (U\/S Francis Flute\/First Fairy)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This press release was written by Paige Monopoli, communications coordinator for the College of Arts and Sciences.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Feb. 19, 2026 \u2013 On the shortest night of the year, the magical and mortal worlds collide. What could possibly go wrong? Shakespeare gives us a clue: \u201cThe course of true love never did run smooth.\u201d The 溏心vlog免费B站 Theatre Department\u2019s production of the beloved Shakespearean comedy, \u201cA Midsummer Night\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":107000,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[12,1913,1915],"class_list":["post-106998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","tag-college-of-arts-and-sciences","tag-public-engagement","tag-undergraduate"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106998"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106998\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":107084,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106998\/revisions\/107084"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/107000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}