• What do Bobby Soxers, Bobby Rydell and the Bard of Avon have in common?
• How will a drive-in movie theatre fit into a sixteenth century romantic comedy?
• How will a ducktail hairdo of the 1950's commingle with the dactyls of Elizabethan blank verse?

All of these questions can be answered by attending A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Rockefeller Arts Center during the second and third weekends of October. The SUNY Fredonia Department of Theatre and Dance will open the Walter Gloor Mainstage Series with the classic Shakespearean comedy reset in the 1950's of Athens, Ohio.
 
The first offering of the 2004-2005 Walter Gloor season will open on Oct. 15 and continue Oct. 16, 21, 22, and 23 at 8 p.m. A matinee performance of the comedy will be shown on Sunday, Oct. 17 at 2 p.m. Ticket prices for adults/seniors are $12 and $10 for students. Reservations can be obtained by calling the Central Ticket Office at 673-3501 during regular business hours. Midsummer is recommended for all audiences as a wonderful introduction to the dramatic work of William Shakespeare.
 
Director Paul Mockovak has decided to place Shakespeare's early comedy in a drive-in movie theatre of the 1950's called "The Woods." In this production, Shakespeare's characters will resemble television personalities and figures from the Eisenhower years. Athens, Greece will become Athens, Ohio and the central characters will appear as greasers and bobby soxers. Mockovak remarked about the updating of the play that, "Trying to determine as many aspects of the production that will be impacted by the updated concept and trying to have as many answers ahead of time as possible have been a big challenge. I have had to anticipate the many questions of the cast and design team."
 
Some of the actors were skeptical about the updating of the production. However, they changed their minds after hearing about the creative staging ideas that director Mockovak had to go along with his unique concept. Sara Churchill, a senior in the BFA Acting program who plays Hermia, said, "I was excited after hearing how he was going to stage things. Especially the lover's quarrel in Act III, there will be some very funny surprises in that scene."
 
A distinctive design element of the production will be the use of automobiles for the lovers to arrive at the drive-in movie. Ivy Robinson, scene designer and senior in the BFA production and design program, has chosen to use electric golf carts to transform into automobiles. Period car bodies are being built out of Styrofoam shaped to look like vintage 1950's models of a Ford, Buick and a Chevy. The scaled down car models will be housed on top of Nutall golf carts from Sheridan, New York.
 
Costume designer Jessica Stanley, also a senior in the BFA production design program, has envisioned a world of poodle skirts and prom dresses for the wedding at the end of the play. "But I had the most fun building Bottom's head when he is transformed into a donkey. I used things that you would find around the costume shop. Mostly wire hangers, electrical tape, a millinery material called buckram, some padding and sewn on fur. A valuable lesson that I have learned is to stick to what you have designed but be willing to change your ideas," said Stanley.
 
The plot of Shakespeare's Midsummer deftly intertwines the "Athenian youth" and the fantasy world of the fairies. The four young lovers have complications that would challenge any mortal from the very start of the play. Demetrius and Lysander both want Hermia but she only has eyes for Lysander. The bad news is, Egeus (her father), wants Demetrius for a son-in-law. On the outside is Helena whose unreturned love burns hot for Demetrius. Hermia and Lysander plan to flee from the city under cover of darkness, but are pursued by an enraged Demetrius, who is, in turn, pursued by an enraptured Helena.
 
In the forest, unbeknownst to the mortals, Oberon and Titania, the King and Queen of the Fairies, are having a spat over a servant boy. The plot twists even tighter when Oberon's head mischief-maker, Puck runs loose with a flower which causes people to fall in love with the first thing they see upon waking and many times the "wrong" first thing. Throw in a group of common craftsmen, led by Peter Quince and Nick Bottom, rehearsing a play for the Duke's wedding and the complications become fantastically funny. The Pyramus and Thisby play in the hands of the amateurish thespians gives actors free license for overacting of the worst and funniest kind.
 
The cast is comprised mostly of upper classmen in the BFA Acting and Musical Theatre programs. Josh Gregory will play Demetrius and Lysander by Brendon Schaefer. Adam Deming plays Egeus and Lauren Basler will portray Helena. Pete Giordano leads the fairy world as Oberon and Katherine Varno will be Titania with Oberon's chief mischief-maker of Puck played by Mark Sweich. Mark de la Concha plays Quince and Daniel Lendzian takes the part of the ambitious, but not too bright, Nick Bottom.
 
Shakespeare's skillful interweaving of the many plot lines creates a dizzying effect especially as Bottom's head is transformed into a donkey and Titania falls in love with the crude beast. The extraordinary richness of the Bard's imagery and conceptual depth will still come through even in Mockovak's twentieth century setting.
 
"It has brought a number of challenges, but in many cases it reveals the universality and timelessness of the writing. Many of the lines when viewed from a different perspective can be said as written, but even within a different context they make absolute sense," Mockovak said. The timeless appeal of the words coupled with impassioned performances and a contemporary design will be sure to create a high-spirited production that will live up to its title and reputation.