Ammon Arts Community Theater to stage ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’
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AMMON — The Ammon Arts Community Theater is inviting east Idaho residents to kick off their summer with a little Shakespeare.
AACT is performing their version of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” starting this Friday, June 11 and running through Tuesday, June 15 at Thunder Ridge High School in Idaho Falls.
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is a story about a couple who are forbidden to marry and decide to run away into the forest. Unbeknownst to them, the forest is full of magic and magical creatures that cause chaos, with comic results and a relatable message.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Rachel Keppner, the play’s director, told EastIdahoNews.com. “People try to run away from their problems but we all have to face them at some time or another and we’re better off because we do.”
The play was selected for the accessibility of its plot and themes and its fantastical elements.
“It’s probably Shakespeare’s most approachable play,” Keppner said. “There’s something for everyone in it. A lot of people really like the magic and the fantasy aspects of it. I know that’s one of my favorite parts.”
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” also allowed actors of all ages to be cast. The play features actors as young as four years old and as old as seventy.
AACT’s production sets the play in the 1930s. Keppner said she chose to set the play in the 30s for several reasons.
“I feel like there are a lot of parallels with our time to theirs,” she said. “They went through a lot of economic hardships at the time and I thought it was something that we could possibly relate to. It’s also a time I think people are forgetting, forgetting that The Great Depression happened. So I think it’s good to revive that and be reminded of our own history.”
Ammon Arts Community Theater was started with the help of Thunder Ridge drama teacher Jorden Cammack as a way for the school to have some outreach into the community. The partnership is also a way to make more use of the school’s auditorium by hosting community productions.
“We decided to form the Community Theater underneath the (Ammon Arts) nonprofit umbrella,” Keppner said. “We are all part of that group and we are able to use Thunder Ridge and, again, it’s part of an outreach to the community.”
The community AACT serves can see their production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on June 11, 12, 14 and 15 at 7 p.m. at Thunder Ridge High School. Tickets for both in-person and virtual viewing can be purchased by clicking here.