Shakespeare is back in Galt Gardens this summer.
 A Midsummer Night’s Dream begins on Friday, July 6 featuring a big cast of 22 actors including members from the University  of Lethbridge drama department, graduates and community members.

A Midsummer’s Nights Dream is unabashedly a love story.

“It’s just a great play. There’s love, forbidden love, love denied and love being chased after. It’s very lovey dovey,” laughed director Andrew Legg.

“And there’s blue collar workers putting on a play within a play,” he continued.
While people expect Shakespeare plays to be long night, Legg found a good adaptation and trimmed the cast down to 22.

“There’s a lot more fairies in the original,” he said.
“I found a really good adaptation. It’s about one and a half hours long,” said Legg who is enjoying tackling Shakespeare.

 It will run at 7 p.m. beginning July 6, then every Thursday and Friday after that.
“It’s a professional adaptation of the play. It’s still Shakespeare’s dialogue, but some of the scenes have been trimmed for action.”

“Midsummers Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s more easily accessible plays,” she said.
The performance takes place rain or shine.

“Unless there is danger to the public and  actors, the show goes on rain or shine,” Connolly said.
“It’s every week except Friday the 13th. Because people think actors are so superstitious. Actually somebody else booked it then, but they don’t need to know that it’s not because of superstition,” she chuckled.

 Veteran actress Danielle Gurr gets to play the mischievous fairy Puck.
“I’m really liking it. It’s very fun. Puck is a very mischievous character ,” said Gurr, who was in several University of Lethbridge productions including Hair and even a September 2011Theatre Xtras production of Romeo and Juliet — sort of.
“ It was R and J which was based on Romeo and Juliet,” she said.

 Meredith Pritchard, a third year drama student is excited to be part of a project which combines the university with the community. She is excited to play Hermia, who is involved with a love triangle with her and her best friend Helena.
“So we fight over him,” she said.

 

“It’s been really exciting to see,” she said.

“ It’s great to see the community and the university working together to create something that is so beautiful,” Pritchard said.
 Natalie Buckley, who is going into her fifth year is enjoying her character, the tall, thin, Helena, who isn’t what the people of the time would consider to be beautiful.

“She’s a young girl and she’s pretty desperate. Both of us fall in love with the same guy,”  Buckley continued.
“Hermia is shorter, and curvier,”  Pritchard said.

“ While Helena is tall but wouldn’t be classified as beautiful.”
Buckley is looking forward to the show.
“I’m super excited about it,” Buckley said.
A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream runs every Thursday and Friday until Aug. 10.