A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Odell Park

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is Shakespeare’s most popular and best-known comedy, a tale of magic, mischievous fairies, and love lost and found on a charmed and chaotic summer night in the woods. In early 1950s Hollywood, Duke Theseus, head producer and leading man of Athens Studios, is set to wed reigning Queen of the Screen Hippolyta, cementing a merger with Amazon Pictures, when he is forced to intervene in a case of romantic entanglements between four of the studio’s star actors. When the lovers flee Hollywood for the forest nearby, things get even more complicated as the fairy spirits of the woods become involved, and as a company of studio backstage workers preparing a hilariously bad play for the wedding gets caught in the crossfire.

Set in the Hollywood “dream factory” of the mid twentieth century and in the thick of beautiful Odell Park under some of the largest and oldest trees in New Brunswick, and enriched with music, song, and dance, including a selection of some of the best-loved numbers from such classic movie musicals as Singing in the Rain and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Bard in the Barracks’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be pure magic as the sun sets on a beautiful Fredericton evening!

Read on for full show details below!

Show dates and time: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Saturday, June 22 (pay-what-you-will preview performance)

Tuesday, June 25

Thursday, June 27

Saturday, June 29

Sunday, June 30

Tuesday, July 2

Thursday, July 4

Saturday, July 6

Sunday, July 7

All performances begin at 7:30 PM, but patrons should arrive at the park by 7:15 or earlier to allow time to buy tickets and make it to the play’s starting point. Good walking shoes, clothing for all weather possibilities, a flashlight, and a blanket to sit on are recommended.

Run time: Approximately 2 hours 45 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission.

Show dates and times: Measure For Measure

A Midsummer Night’s Dream will run in repertory with our second production, Measure For Measure in Barracks Square, which will be performed on the following dates:

Evening performances (7:30 PM):

Friday, June 21 (Pay-What-You-Will preview)

Sunday, June 23

Wednesday, June 26

Friday, June 28

Wednesday, July 3

Friday July 5

Matinee performances (2 PM):

Sunday, June 30

Sunday, July 7

Twinbill Shakespeare Sundays!

Are you up for the challenge? In town for only a short time? A true Shakespeare fanatic? Curious to see how many of the same actors handle performing two Shakespeare plays in one day? Join us on Sunday, June 24 or Sunday, July 7 at 2 PM for Measure For Measure in Barracks Square and at 7:30 PM for A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Odell Park. If you see both plays in one day, there might just be a special reward for you!

Tickets: Tickets are available at the door at our box office by the main parking lot in Odell Park, or can be purchased in advance online from our website. Tickets available per performance: 120.

Ticket Prices:

Single Tickets

Regular performances: $20 regular, $15 for Seniors and the Un/Underwaged, $12 for Students (valid student i.d. required). Children 9 and under are free. Family pass $50 (any group of 3 or 4 related persons including at least one student).

Pay-what-you-will performances: For our June 21 performance of Measure For Measure and June 22 performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream the ticket price is up to you!

*Note: Advance tickets purchased online are subject to a $1 (per ticket) service fee.

Other ways to save:

Twinbill Passes: Attend any regular performances of both Measure for Measure and A Midsummer Night’s Dream with one of our twinbill passes and your second show is half price! Twinbill passes are priced at $30 Regular, $22 Senior/Un/Underwaged, and $15 Student, offering a big savings over the price of two single tickets. Passes can be purchased at the door of either production. They cannot be purchased in advance online, but any single ticket purchased online can be converted into a twinbill pass at the door of either production with a cash purchase of your half-price second ticket.

Group Rates: Groups of five or more will save $3 per person in the group. Please reserve your group tickets in advance by emailing nbacts@unb.ca to indicate the names of the people in your party and the performance you plan to attend.

FAQ: What is a preview? It’s the final dress rehearsal for the play and first time with an audience for the show, allowing the cast and crew a chance to make final adjustments to the performance.)

FAQ: What is “Un/Underwaged”? If you would like to see the show but owing to your employment/financial situation you feel you cannot afford the full ticket price and would appreciate a small discount, you can identify as such, no questions asked.

Ticket purchases at the door (by main parking lot, Rookwood entrance) are cash only. Advance tickets must be purchased for a specific performance. Audience numbers will be capped at 120 per performance and it is quite possible we will reach that capacity on nights with good weather, so we encourage you to get your tickets in advance, come early if purchasing tickets at the door, and don’t wait until the end of our run to see the show! For information on ticket availability, email nbacts@unb.ca or phone 478-1288.

Advance tickets purchased for rained-out performances can be used for subsequent shows or returned for refund (call or email us to arrange your refund). If rain forces the cancellation of a performance already in progress, audience members can use their ticket stub for free admittance to a subsequent performance, or can opt for a ticket refund if the stoppage occurs prior to halfway through the show. For more on our weather policy, see below.

What to Wear: Clothing that is appropriate for all weather possibilities and suitable for sitting on the ground (and in most locations ground = ground, not grass..). Dress in layers: though days may be warm, evenings can still be cool, especially under the forest canopy. We highly recommend footwear that is some form of running shoe or hiking boot as opposed to sandals or flip-flops, as the play travels through some rough terrain and some areas that are always muddy, especially after a rainfall.

What to Bring: Raincoat and hat if threat of rain; a blanket, cushion, or small lightweight camp stool to sit on. Because action happens all around the audience, and audiences will be moving between locations often, lawnchairs will not be very practical for this production and will be cumbersome to carry around, so a stool or cushion is a better option. A small flashlight, if you own one or have one on your cellphone, will come in handy after dark. And bringing your own insect repellent is never a bad idea, as the odd mosquito has been known to inhabit Odell Park… For the same reason, full length pants and long sleeved shirts or light jackets are recommended.

What Not to Bring: Your dog. You love him; we probably would too. But audience members will be at close quarters, and for the safety and comfort of all involved, we ask you (service dogs excepted) to leave Fido at home. A lot of stuff. You’ll be moving around frequently during the show, so having a lot of backpacks, bags, etc. to carry with you will get tiresome. Your bike. Please lock it at the rack by the parking lot! And please no smoking during the show.

Is it Suitable for Children? Definitely! A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most family-friendly plays, with plenty of action and spectacle to keep the younger set interested, but you are the best judge of your child’s interest in a full-length Shakespeare play. The play also contains some mild and subtle sexual innuendo.

Is the Show Accessible for Those with Physical Challenges? The play is a promenade-style production, with audiences following the action through the park, which is located on a hillside. Audience members will end up walking 1.5-2.5 kilometres during the show. All walking between scenes occurs on park trails (gravel or wood chip). Some audience seating areas are in rougher terrain, but all scenes can also be watched from the trails if necessary. Please call or email us if you have questions.

Where to Find Us: For the information of our out-of-town visitors, the main entrance to Odell Park is located at the corner of Waggoner’s Lane and Rookwood Avenue, just west of the major intersection of Dundonald and Smythe Streets, with our box office located at the top of the main parking lot.

Food at the Park: There are no restaurant facilities at Odell Park, so you might want to bring your own snacks and drinks. A concession stand offering some basic snack items and beverages available by donation will also operate at intermission.

Our rainy weather policy and procedures: Every effort will be made to avoid cancelling the show. We cancel performances very rarely, and only in case of sustained rain or threat of thunderstorms at show time. Rain earlier in the day will not cause show cancellations, but bring a blanket so you don’t have to sit on wet ground. The play will go ahead in case of intermittent light rain/drizzle, so audience members are encouraged to dress appropriately.

Because we try to avoid cancellations, decisions on whether to proceed with the show will sometimes not be made until quite close to show time (around 7 PM). For updates on show status, please call our office at 506 458-7406, or our company cell phone (478-1288). Weather-related show updates will also be sent out via Twitter (follow us: @BardBarracks), Facebook, and posted on this website.

In the event of rainouts on the final weekend of the show, an additional performance may be added to the run on Monday, July 8. Check this site for updates. Better yet, come see the show early on to avoid final weekend rainout heartbreak!

Questions? Contact us at (506) 458-7406 or nbacts@unb.ca. Bard Artistic Director Len Falkenstein can be reached at lfalken@unb.ca.