For Immediate Release
Contact: Theresa M. MacNaughton, tmacnaughton@hartfordstage.org
Office: 860-520-7114

Casting and performance dates announced for Breakdancing Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Hartford, CT, July 10, 2019 – Education @ Hartford Stage, in conjunction with the Greater Hartford Arts Council's Neighborhood Studios, has announced the cast for Breakdancing Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Three public performances will be at Hartford Stage Thursday, August 1, through Saturday, August 3, with all shows beginning at 7 p.m.

Breakdancing Shakespeare puts a modern twist on a classic Shakespearean play, blending it with the electricity and youthful passion of modern hip-hop. One of William Shakespeare’s most captivating works, A Midsummer Night’s Dream infuses love, rivalry, challenges to authority, and amateur theatrics — all kissed with the fireworks of hip-hop fairy magic. Here, four teens set off into the city, by night, on an adventure that will change their lives.

“This year we are excited to be revisiting A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  It was the very first Breakdancing Shakespeare I saw twelve years ago in 2007. That production won my heart, and I have been so looking forward to the day when I could direct it myself,” said Nina Pinchin, Associate Director of Education at Hartford Stage. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as the title suggests, is a perfectly magical summer evening and a true ensemble piece with room for almost any member of the cast to steal the show!”

The cast of Breakdancing Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream includes Isaiah Artis, 17, of East Hartford, as Oberon; Tyler Blue, 16, of Windsor, as Bottom; Nicholas Fortenbach, 14, of Tolland, as Hippolytus/Fairy; Skylin Foster, 14, of Vernon, as Puck; Maya Fountain, 15, of Manchester, as Titania; Gabriela Hernandez, 14, of Bloomfield, as Flute; Saige Hollis, 14, of Hartford, as Hermia; Cyana Lindsay, 15, of Windsor, as Duke Thesea/Fairy; Maddie Lynch, 16, of Weatogue, as Egeus/Fairy; Noah Pichay, 16, of South Windsor, as Demetrius; Shelby Smith, 15, of Farmington, as Helena; Jamare Snype, 18, of Hartford, as Snug; Anaya Tolton, 14, of Vernon, as Peasblossom; Mark Truscio, 15, of Simsbury, as Quince; and Travis Wroten, 17, of Bloomfield, as Lysander.

The script for Breakdancing Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream is adapted by Scott Bartelson, Hartford Stage Management Associate. Pinchin will helm the production, assisted by former Breakdancing Shakespeare cast members Brandon Couloute as choreographer, Lili St. Amand as associate choreographer, and Alana Morgan as stage manager. 

General admission $10 tickets for Breakdancing Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream can be purchased through the Hartford Stage Box Office at 860-527-5151 or online at http://www.hartfordstage.org/education/bds.

To learn more about Breakdancing Shakespeare, visit http://www.hartfordstage.org/education/bds or contact Robert Reader, Education Programs Manager, at 860-520-7263 or rreader@hartfordstage.org. To learn more about Neighborhood Studios, visit https://letsgoarts.org/NeighborhoodStudios.

HARTFORD STAGE

Hartford Stage enters its 56th season beginning an exciting new chapter. Newly-appointed Artistic Director Melia Bensussen and Managing Director Cynthia Rider will continue the theatre’s legacy of artistic excellence by creating theatrical works that enlighten, entertain, and educate.

Renowned for producing innovative revivals of classics, as well as provocative new plays and musicals,  Hartford Stage has earned many of the nation’s most prestigious awards, including the 1989 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. Additional national recognition includes honors from the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, American Theatre Wing (OBIE), and the New York Critics Circle.

Hartford Stage has produced over 80 world and North American premieres, including the new musical Anastasia, which enjoyed a two-year run on Broadway; A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, winner of four 2014 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Direction of a Musical; and Quiara Alegría Hudes’ Water by the Spoonful, winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Other notable premieres include The Engagement Party by Samuel Baum; Make Believe by Bess Wohl; The Age of Innocence by Douglas McGrath; Seder by Sarah Gancher; Rear Window, adapted by Keith Reddin, and starring Kevin Bacon; An Opening in Time by Christopher Shinn; Reverberation by Matthew Lopez; Big Dance Theatre’s Man in a Case with Mikhail Baryshnikov; and Breath & Imagination by Daniel Beaty. Nationally-renowned titles include the New York transfers of Enchanted April; The Orphans’ Home Cycle; Resurrection (later retitled Through the Night); The Carpetbagger’s Children; and Tea at Five.The leading provider of theatre education programs in Connecticut, Hartford Stage’s offerings include student matinees, in-school theatre residencies, teen performance opportunities, theatre classes for students (ages 3-18) and adults, afterschool programs and professional development courses.

The leading provider of theatre education programs in Connecticut, Education @ Hartford Stage offers student matinees, in-school theatre residencies, teen performance opportunities, theatre classes for students (ages 3-18) and adults, afterschool programs and professional development courses. Education @ Hartford Stage programming reaches approximately 21,000 Connecticut students annually.

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