For a fouth year, the Old Globe’s Globe for All Tour, complete with professional actors, stage crew and a traveling set made its way to the Castle Park community for Shakespeare’s most popular comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream. More than 15o students and their parents attend the free production set in the round and scaled specifically for the Hilltop Middle School’s gymnasium to provide the audience an intimate, up-close experience and to foster a shared sense of community between performer and spectator.
Globe for All presents free professional theater to diverse, multigenerational audiences in locations around San Diego County, with a cast of nine professional actors and five production staff members. Over the past five years, Globe for All has continued to extend its reach, performing in military bases, homeless shelters, senior and correctional facilities, recreation centers, libraries, and other community venues. We are honored to continue our partnership in our Castle Park community.
For many students and their parents, this was their first live theatre experience. The Old Globe also hosts a pre-theatre dinner complete with interactive games to help with Shakespeare and theater engagement.
“We are delighted to present Shakespeare’s masterpiece A Midsummer Night’s Dreamin 17 Community Partner venues this year. Our community connections have deepened considerably since we launched Globe for All five years ago, and we value these crucial and rewarding partnerships,” said Old Globe Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “Globe for All is inspired by two simple but deep beliefs: that theatre is an art form for everyone, and that as the flagship arts institution of San Diego, The Old Globe should be accessible to the entire community. Taking our show on the road each year to new corners of our region advances our values of equity, inclusion, access, and, of course, excellence. This year’s tour embodies these values vividly, and our close friend Patricia McGregor’s beautiful production of Midsummerwill bring joy, fun, and the special magic of Shakespeare to our neighbors around San Diego County.”
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is filled with magic, humor, music, and magnificent poetry. A dream unfolds in an enchanted forest where fairies play tricks on unsuspecting lovers, and bumbling actors are transformed beyond their wildest imaginings. Add to this a secret portion that grants love at first sight, and anything can – and does – happen!
The Old Globe’s Globe for All partners with South Bay Community Services, Chula Vista Promise Neighborhood, Hilltop Middle School and Sweetwater Union High School District to bring new opportunities and experiences to the community of Castle Park.