With eight performances, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, was our first outing. And it was a SUCCESS! We could not have asked for a better audience or community support. Our opening night drew 260 people with our following shows averaging around 200. We had a single Thursday night performance, which drew over 300 people, filling the Lilac Bowl. We raised over $4,000 in total donations, which was enough to cover the stipends for all of our artists.
As the first theatre to perform in the Pavilion, we certainly learned a LOT! The elements were our biggest hurdle, with wind storms rendering our microphones useless for the first weekend. By the time we moved to the Lilac Bowl, the issues were mostly resolved. While we will never have the kind of sound coverage a traditional theatre has–we are missing the walls after all–we were able to have people in the back and on the sides of our largest audience tell us they could hear us with little exceptions.
We also tangled with lighting in the Lilac Bowl as our final shows began to run beyond the sunset. We were fortunately enough to have the funds to buy two trees and the LED par lights to ensure no one was left standing in the shadows. We also added battery-powered footlights. All in, we were able to ensure lighting, but there are still lots to learn with the lights and mixing them.
Midsummer Community Comments
“Bravo S3!! Saw Midsummer Night’s Dream last night, loved it!May you have many more successful summers!!”
–MB
“It struck me as a wonderful thing to be sitting in an outdoor summer theatre on a warm, mid-summer night’s evening, enjoying a performance of Midsummer Night’s Dream, joining an untold number of audiences who’ve enjoyed this Shakespeare play for 416 years. What a treat!
–MW
“We loved your play in the park yesterday. You are a wonderful gift to our city. Thank you!”
–MV