Shakespeare in Yosemite Goes Big for Magical āMidsummerā
Thereās nothing small about this yearās production. It boasts the largest cast in the programās seven-year history and, for the first time, features a full band to deliver the score and propel the musical numbers. The headcount for park staff in the cast is an all-time high.
āThe stage will be very crowded for the curtain calls,ā director said.
Then thereās the whole āa tale 90 years in the tellingā setup for āA Midsummer Yosemiteās Dream.ā The play, scheduled for performances April 25 at Ā鶹ĪŽĀė°ęās Wallace Dutra Amphitheater and April 26-28 atĀ Curry Village Amphitheater in Yosemite National Park, is inspired by a 1934 production of āA Midsummer Nightās Dreamā that never happened.
According to letters in the parkās historical archive, University of California and Yosemite officials discussedĀ in front of Yosemite Falls. It would be directed by revered theater director and Austrian Jew Max Reinhardt, who fled to the States to escape the closing fist of Nazism. For reasons lost to time the plan fizzled; Reinhardt later staged the play at the Hollywood Bowl with a cast that included Mickey Rooney and Olivia de Havilland.
Spring forward nine decades to Brokaw, a Ā鶹ĪŽĀė°ę English professor who adeptly mixes the Bard with themes of ecological awareness and environmental protection, alongside catchy music and nifty dance moves. āA Midsummer Yosemiteās Dreamā riffs on human impacts to the parkās ecosystem evident by the ā30s, such as motor vehicles, overzealous fire suppression and the damming of the Merced River.
The play opens in 1934, with its main fairy folk ā Titania, Oberon, Puck and Ariel (representing water, fire, earth and air, respectively) ā choosing to escape this fraught time by hibernating in a fire-scarred sequoia.
āWe will return ā¦ when the mortals might once again live in balance with us,ā says Titania, portrayed by Ā鶹ĪŽĀė°ę alumna Sofia Andom.
They emerge in 2024 and Shakespeareās story plunges forward, as misfired enchantmentsĀ scrambleĀ attractions among four young lovers while a group of local (and hilarious) skilled workers prepare to perform their play within a play, āPyramus and Thisbe.ā
Shakespeare in Yosemite productions could easily be called āYosemite in Shakespeareā ā the Elizabethan playwrightās words are weaved through lines and songs that celebrate the parkās soaring beauty and emphasize the vigilance needed to preserve it. Brokaw and music director Tonatiuh Newbold assembled a song list that draws from artists ranging from Ella Fitzgerald to Gnarls Barkley.
Seven YosemiteĀ rangers or members of the parkās hospitality staff are cast as the workers, along with Ā鶹ĪŽĀė°ę Professor Dave Ardell. Marion Roubal, a park ranger and telecommunications clerk, plays the boisterous Nicky Bottom, who is comically cursed with a donkeyās head by Puckās mischievous magic.
āI get to be larger than life. I get to be the clown,ā said Roubal, who has a degree in classical music and served as an associate director. She said rehearsals at the park were a joy. āWe strengthened bonds and created new ones,ā she said.
Shakespeare in Yosemite ā scheduled around Earth Day each year āĀ resonates with students in the production.
Mia Hinshaw (Lysandra): āI joined the show this year because performing in Yosemite is an experience that can't be matched,ā the second-year psychology major said. āI see Lysandra as this charming character who fights for love. The dynamic between the four lovers is witty and sometimes competitive, but always caring.ā
Wayne AgbanlogĀ (stage manager): The first-year mechanical engineering major who caught the performing arts bug five years ago. āI saw the casting poster and signed up on a whim,ā he said. āIām just happy to be involved in theater here.ā
Joey SerranoĀ (Demetrius): āThereās so much talent in every member of the cast and crew,ā said Serrano, a first-year global arts and writing major. āI canāt wait for audiences to see what we have in store for them. Itāll be an absolute blast!ā
Sedney Suarez Gordon(associate director): Gordon, an interdisciplinary humanities graduate student, was part of āFire, Water, Poison, Hope: California in 2023,ā an original student-written play staged last fall. Gordon is from a Colombian island in South America. āWhere I grew up, there is a deep connection to nature,ā he said. āConnecting the dangers of climate change to the universal language of Shakespeare is so powerful.ā
As Roubal noted, the mission of a park ranger is two-fold: provide enjoyment and education for todayās visitors while preserving the park for tomorrowās.
āThe message in the Yosemite in Shakespeare productions fits right in with what the National Park Service looks for,ā she said.
Wallace-Dutra Amphitheater, Ā鶹ĪŽĀė°ę campus, 6 p.m. Thursday, April 25.
Curry Village Amphitheater, Yosemite National Park, 5 p.m. Friday, April 26; noon and 5 p.m. Saturday, April 27; noon Sunday, April 28.
will offer transportation to the park April 27-28, sponsored by the Outdoor Experience Program. Cost: $30 for Ā鶹ĪŽĀė°ę students, $60 for others. The buses will take you directly to the noon show and youāll have time to hike afterward.
from downtown Merced to Curry Village. Merced County and Mariposa County residents can apply for to the April 26-27 performances.
Driving yourself to Yosemite:Ā For the noon April 27-28 shows, attendees need to in advance. For the 5 p.m. show April 27, the park can be entered without a reservation after 4 p.m. If no reservations are initially available, check later; additional reservations are released one week in advance, on April 20 and 21.
No reservation to attend an April 27-28 performance is needed if you have a prior reservation at a Yosemite hotel or campsite that weekend or plan to enter on a bus. No reservation is needed for the Friday, April 26 performance.