Shakespeare’s works to hit the Congress Park stage

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> The Saratoga Shakespeare Company will present two of Shakespeare’s works this summer, a news release said.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” opens on Tuesday, July 18 and runs through Saturday, July 29. “The Winter’s Tale” opens on Tuesday, Aug. 1 and runs through Saturday, Aug. 5.

All performances will be in Congress Park, on the Alfred Z. Solomon Stage, at 6 p.m. Admission is always free of charge, and Congress Park is entirely accessible.

Both young and old, as well as family groups, are strongly encouraged to attend – with or without picnics, the release said. Last season, the company presented two productions in Congress Park for the first time and its audience responded with record attendance, the release said.

As Saratoga’s longest running professional theatre company, the two main-stage productions will feature several members of Actors’ Equity Association, the stage actors’ professional union. In addition, a talented group of other non-union professional actors and members of the Young Theatre Professional Company will round out the casts.

“A Midsummer Night ’ s Dream” will be directed by Wesley Broulik. Saratoga Shakespeare audiences will remember his recent performances with the company as Don Armado in “Love’s Labour’s Lost” and as the witty and verbally facile Cyrano de Bergerac in last season’s “Cyrano.” Broulik has extensive national directing credits and currently teaches at the Johnny Carson School of Theatre & Film at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.

“‘AMidsummerNight’s Dream’ is one of Shakespeare’s most beloved and popular comedies, featuring appealing young lovers, magical sprites and fairies, and hysterically funny rustics,” the release said.

This year’s second production is Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale.”

“One of the last plays written by Shakespeare, ‘ The Winter’s Tale’ is a timeless and enchanting tale of love, loss, jealousy and redemption,” the release said.

In the release, the company said it is excited to welcome director Liz Carlson- Guerin. Liz is a director and dramaturge who specializes in New Play Development, Classic Theatre for Contemporary Audiences, Physical & Devised Theatre and Community Engagement. She served for eight years as an associate director and company member for West Philadelphia’s renowned Curio Theatre Company, and her 2016 Philadelphia premiere of “The Birds” by Conor MacPherson for Curio was Barrymore Recommended, the release said.

Additionally, the Saratoga Shakespeare Young Theatre Professional Company will offer our Community Outreach production of “Twelfth Night,” directed by longtime company member TimDugan. Timserves as an Associate Artistic Director and Director of Education and Training for the company.

Performances will take place during the first week of August in multiple locations, including Congress Park and Skidmore College’s Suzanne Corbet Thomas Amphitheater. These college- aged aspiring theatre artists will train extensively and will also perform alongside the professional actors in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” the release said.

For further information, visit www. saratogashakespeare.com or Saratoga Shakespeare’s Facebook page at www. facebook. com/SaratogaShakespeare. People also can contact Executive Director Barbara Opitz at (518) 587-2166 ( bopitz@skidmore.edu) or our Associate Artistic Director of PR and Audience Engagement David Girard at (518) 5281677 (david@davidmgirard.com).