Brave Spirits Theatre Archive PROGRAM The Athens Rep: A Midsummer Night’s Dream & The Two Noble Kinsmen 2014 Directors: Jessica Aimone and Charlene V. Smith Artistic Director: Charlene V. Smith Resident Dramaturg: Claire Kimball ---------------------------- Brave Spirits Theatre is providing these early modern theatre resources free of charge for educators, students, and theatre practitioners for research purposes only. All design, directing, and dramaturgical work is the intellectual property of the artist who created it. Any use of this work in future productions is forbidden unless the express permission of the artist is obtained. Scripts in Word document format and scene charts in Excel are available for open source use and adaptation. You are also welcome to consult BST’s script edits and doubling tracks for research or production. This page and other identfying markers should not be removed from PDF fles. If you found this document helpful in your research or practice, please consider donating to Brave Spirits Theatre at (bravespiritstheatre.com/support) to help support the company and these archives. www.bravespiritstheatre.com directed by Jessica Aimone and Charlene V. Smith November 14 - December 7, 2014 Anacostia Arts Center www.bravespiritstheatre.com About Brave Spirits Theatre Founded in 2011, Brave Spirits Teatre is dedicated to plays from the era of verse and violence which contrast the baseness of humanity with the elegance of poetry. By staging dark, visceral, intimate productions of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, we strive to tear down the perception of these plays as proper and intellectual and instead use them to explore the boundaries of acceptable human behavior. From the Artistic Director Welcome to the opening of Brave Spirits’ 2014-15 season. Ever since we started four years ago with a six-actor Te Two Gentlemen of Verona, we’ve taken on increasingly complex projects. You’re sitting at our largest project to date: a repertory of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Te Two Noble Kinsmen. We hope for a repertory of two plays to become a regular part of our season programming. Midsummer and Kinsmen, with their crossover characters, were a perfect choice for our frst repertory. We’re delighted to welcome Jessica Aimone as the director of Midsummer, whose clear vision creates productions full of both depth and entertainment. Brave Spirits is committed to bringing audiences rarely produced Shakespearean plays and even unheard of scripts by his contemporaries. Kinsmen is a collaboration with John Fletcher, who would succeed Shakespeare as lead dramatist for the King’s Men. To our knowledge, Kinsmen has never been staged in a full production in Washington, DC. Both Midsummer and Kinsmen provide a higher number of female roles than is typically found in early modern drama, allowing us to cast several highly talented DC actresses and through them bring light to the women’s stories in these two plays. With their journeys on our minds, Midsummer and Kinsmen allowed us to explore relationships, choice, and equality in two very diferent ways. Finally, Brave Spirits seeks to be a theatre company that celebrates the actor. By performing plays in repertory, we have the opportunity to create a strong ensemble where every actor is vital to the fnal product. Tese two plays have asked our thirteen actors to bring all their talents to the table, requiring them to sing, to dance, and to handle with equal defness comedy and drama. I hope you enjoy the results. Join us in the spring of 2015 for Arden of Faversham, a delightful true crime black comedy from the early 1590s. Sometimes attributed to Shakespeare, this anonymous play deserves far more theatrical attention than it has received. We’re excited to ofer you the oppportunity to see it staged. -- Charlene V. Smith A Midsummer Night’s Dream By William Shakespeare directed by Jessica Aimone Hippolyta / Titania ................................................................................ Jacqueline Chenault Teseus / Oberon .................................................................................. Ian Blackwell Rogers Philostrate / Puck ..........................................................................................Anderson Wells Egeus / Peter Quince ...................................................................................Joshua D. Brown Demetrius .......................................................................................................David Mavricos Lysander ....................................................................................................................Ben Lauer Hermia ...................................................................................................................Renana Fox Helena ......................................................................................................... Amber A. Gibson First Fairy / Starveling ......................................................................................Zach Roberts Bottom / Fairy .......................................................................................................Kelly Elliott Snug / Fairy ............................................................................................................ Jenna Berk Snout / Fairy .................................................................................................Carolyn Kashner Flute / Fairy ..................................................................................................Willem Krumich The Two Noble Kinsmen By William Shakespeare and John Fletcher directed by Charlene V. Smith Hippolyta ................................................................................................ Jacqueline Chenault Teseus ................................................................................................... Ian Blackwell Rogers Emilia ............................................................................................................Carolyn Kashner Artesius / Wooer / 2nd Countryman ..........................................................Anderson Wells Pirithous / Jailer’s Brother ................................................................................Zach Roberts 1st Queen / Countrywoman / 2nd Friend / Messenger ..................................Kelly Elliott 2nd Queen / Waiting Woman / Countrywoman .............................................Renana Fox 3rd Queen / Countrywoman / 1st Friend / Executioner ...................... Amber A. Gibson Arcite ...............................................................................................................David Mavricos Palamon / Countryman ..............................................................................Willem Krumich Valerius / Jailer / Schoolmaster ..................................................................Joshua D. Brown Herald / Countryman / Doctor .............................................................................Ben Lauer Jailer’s Daughter ..................................................................................................... Jenna Berk Each production has one ffeen-minute intermission. Production Team Stage Manager ..................................................................................................... Derek David Costume Designer ........................................................................................Melissa Huggins Puppetry and Mask Designer ................................................................Genevieve V. Beller Lighting Designer ................................................................................ Jason Aufdim-Brinke Fight Choreographers ....................................................Joshua D. Brown and Kelly Elliott Choreographer ....................................................................................... Jacqueline Chenault Set Construction ....................................................................................................Mike Salmi Musicians Music Director and Composer ........................................................................Zach Roberts Guitar ............................................................................................................Joshua D. Brown Cello ..........................................................................................................................Ben Lauer Mandolin ........................................................................................................David Mavricos Trumpet ....................................................................Joshua D. Brown and Anderson Wells Percussion ................................... Kelly Elliott, David Mavricos, Jenna Berk, Renana Fox, Zach Roberts, Amber A. Gibson, and Carolyn Kashner Synopsis: A Midsummer Night’s Dream In four days, Hippolyta will give up her Amazonian life by marrying Teseus, Duke of Athens. In the midst of planning their celebration, the pair is interrupted by Egeus, who comes with complaint against his daughter, Hermia. Hermia is in love with Ly- sander, but Egeus wants her to marry Demetrius. Egeus begs Teseus either to force Hermia to marry Demetrius or to put her to death. Teseus sofens Egeus’s request, commanding Hermia to either marry according to her father’s will or become a nun. Her decision must be made be Teseus and Hippolyta’s wedding day. Lysander and Hermia plot to run away from Athens and elope. Tey tell their plan to Hermia’s best friend, Helena, who is in love with Demetrius. Helena,