The two stories in our 72nd Season both center on dreams—the kind that consume your sleep and the kind that keep you burning the midnight oil. In William Shakespeare’s most-loved comedy and in Lorainne Hansberry’s paradigm-shifting family drama, people sacrifice all they have to pursue their dreams while powers in control attempt to stop them. Both A Midsummer Night’s Dream and A Raisin in the Sun celebrate family, speak to the modern moment, and help us better understand ourselves and our neighbor.
Tour 72 Productions
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A Midsummer Night's Dream
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Danielle DrakesFairies, thespians, and runaway lovers all find themselves wandering the forest at night. With the fairy king and queen scheming, the lovers escaping, and the ragtag troupe of actors hastily rehearsing a show for the duke’s wedding tomorrow, what more could go wrong? When a fairy named Puck accidentally misapplies a love potion and purposefully transforms an actor into a donkey, it will take more than magic to set things right.Get lost in the forest with the National Players in the most epic romantic entanglement of all time. A magical comedy that’s fun for children and adults alike.
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A Raisin in the Sun
by Lorraine Hansberry
directed by Christopher Michael RichardsonThe members of the Younger family dream bigger than the small house where they live on the south side of Chicago in the 1950s. When their deceased father’s insurance money comes through, those dreams might actually become reality. Walter Lee wants to run his own business and earn financial independence, but his sister Beneatha dreams of attending medical school. Meanwhile, their mother Lena wants to move them all to a bigger home in a white neighborhood. What will finally allow the Youngers to move up in the world, and who will have their dreams deferred? National Players is honored to portray this award-winning drama with a universal story about an African American family dealing with prejudice, history, and a world where everything changes.
The National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest presents Shakespeare in American Communities. Olney Theatre Center is one of 40 professional theater companies across the nation selected to perform a Shakespeare play with a professional team of actors for middle- and high-schools and conduct related educational activities for students.
