Upstate Shakespeare Festival brings ‘Midsummer’ magic to Falls Park

With the vast majority of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” set in a forest, it’s a perfect play to perform among the towering oaks, elms and maple trees of Falls Park, director Clare Shaffer said.

“‘Midsummer’ is one of those shows that wants to be outside in the fresh air,” Shaffer said.

Shaffer’s staging of Shakespeare’s comedy runs May 21-June 21 in Falls Park, part of this summer’s Upstate Shakespeare Festival.

As always, admission is free, but donations are welcome.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” follows several intertwined groups of lovers, actors, and fairies as they wander through a magical forest near Athens.

Two young couples flee into the woods, where the fairy king and queen, Oberon and Titania, are quarreling, and the mischievous sprite Puck uses a magical flower that causes people to fall in love with the wrong person.

Meanwhile, a group of amateur actors rehearses a play for a royal wedding, leading to comic confusion when one actor is transformed to have the head of a donkey.

By the end, the enchantments are undone, the lovers are properly matched, and the play celebrates reconciliation, imagination, and the unpredictable nature of love.

Summer stress-reliever

Shaffer believes the comedy, among other things, is an ideal summer stress-reliever.

“I love the optimism, mischief and whimsy of the show,” Shaffer said. “It’s magical, it’s funny, it’s silly, a perfect summer show that asks, ‘What if we waved a magic wand and all of your stressors went away?’”

The production is set in the 16th century — “Renaissance-Fair style,” Shaffer said. She stages the comedy in a brisk 90 minutes with no intermission. Fifteen actors play 20 roles. Shaffer has added additional music and dance, including a song-and-dance finale.

“The music and dance add to the magic of the show,” she said.

The two-story set on the Falls Park stage, representing the Athenian court, enhances the nature theme with flowers and greenery.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” remains a perennial audience favorite, and Shaffer anticipates a popular run of the show.

“Even if you don’t know anything about Shakespeare, you’ve heard of ‘Midsummer’ and that a man is turned into a donkey, and it’s hilarious,” she said.