Theatre to Present ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ this week

Performances are scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 29, Friday, Sept. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. A matinee performance will be presented Saturday, Oct. 1 at 2 p.m.in the Fine Arts Auditorium on the El Dorado campus.

By many, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is considered one of Shakespeare’s masterpieces and is a favorite of audiences and theatre artists alike. The play weaves together the stories of Athenian lovers, mystical fairies, and rough Athenian craftspeople. All bound for the woods at night, they all become victims of Robin Goodfellow’s trickery and comedy ensues. Butler Theatre last produced the play in 1998 as a children’s theatre production.

Director and costume designer Samuel Sparks, Butler’s professor of theatre and director of Fine Arts, leads the company of 22 actors in this production and is excited to bring Shakespeare’s work to the community again.

“Butler last produced one of Shakespeare’s plays in 2008 with its production of “Macbeth.” We’ve had a wonderful time working on ‘Midsummer’ which is a fun, yet challenging play,” said Sparks.  

Bernie Wonsetler, associate professor of Butler theatre, is the scene and lighting designer. Laykin Lynn, a freshman from Valley Center, is stage manager.

“Bernie has created an environment with the scenery and lighting that works like a playground with so many opportunities for the actors to play the scenes. We’ve had a great time discovering surprising ways to work with it. Because of all of this, the audience is in for a fast-paced and exciting experience,” says Sparks.

The Butler Fine Arts Box Office is open 1-5 pm Monday-Friday. Reservations can be made by calling 316-322-3262 or online by visiting www.butlercc.edu/boxoffice.  Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for children and senior citizens. Those with a Butler I.D. are admitted at no cost.

The Butler Theatre Department produces four productions annually and offers full tuition and book scholarships to qualifying students in both performance and technical theatre. Interested students should contact Bob Peterson, [email protected].

Cast Members by Hometown
Andover - David Kelley

Augusta - Elizabeth Gillis, Elaine Rye

El Dorado - Abigail Staats, Clay Voisin, Matthew Heideman, Seth Knowles, Brooklyn Kane

Derby - Bethany Khanu

Hanston - Madisyn Coats

Mullinville - Miranda Kimble

Mulvane - Nathan Wells

Parsons - Jacob Martinez

Rose Hill - Jordan Debbrecht

Towanda - Davyd Ledgerwood

Topeka - José Cruz

Wichita - Charly Ahlstedt, Bethanie Phillips, Chandler Moore, Sarah Slack, Allison Pieschl, and Nicole Walker