San Pedro Playhouse is dialing up the drama and bringing some local sizzle to Shakespeare with their latest production, "Midsummer Sueño." The play which is an adaptation of the classic "A Midsummer Night's Dream," is setting the stage in San Antonio's very own San Pedro Springs Park and runs from April 9-14, according to the San Antonio Report.
As if the White House had nothing on the local theater scene, actor Humberto Garcia, who also wrote the nonfiction book "Mustang Miracle," will be skipping a White House screening of the book's film adaptation, "The Long Game," to perform in "Midsummer Sueño" on its opening night, despite the collision with the park production’s opening night. The San Pedro Playhouse even reeled in playwright Paco Farias, who turned an invite from the White House down, eager to see his reimagined Shakespeare creation come to life on the local stage, the San Antonio Report obtained in a statement.
Injecting some local flavor, the adaptation by Farias boasts a script spiced with Spanish and Spanglish, shaking up Shakespeare's metered lines. It also harnesses some of the region's musical traditions, with Jaime Ramirez, the Playhouse Resident Music Director, scoring original mariachi-flavored tunes and drawing upon the son jarocho style for the show's musical backbone, according to the San Antonio Report.
Folklorico dancing, along with a set evoking the Hot Wells Hotel ruins, gives the production another layer of local texture. And while purists can still catch the original Shakespearean vibe, newbies to the Bard will find "Midsummer Sueño" more accessible and inclusive. President and CEO Asia Ciaravino of the San Pedro Playhouse is particularly stoked about this production, hailing it as a perfect intersection of Fiesta and theater. Ciaravino told the Express News, "Being outside in a festival environment where you can have Fiesta plus a show — is there anything better for San Antonio?"
Noteworthy, the park will morph into a market-like atmosphere before the curtain rises, starting at 6 p.m. with food trucks, vendors, and live music to warm up the crowd. This year's shake-up even includes a free pass for those 18 and under, all part of a play to keep younger generations engaged with the classic charms of Shakespeare. After a considerable hiatus, according to the Express News, "Midsummer Sueño" marks a return of Shakespeare in the Park, which the Playhouse aims to turn into an annual city-wide affair with "Romeo and Juliet" already on deck for next summer.
