MCAA students stage 'Midsummer' in Marysville

Performing a William Shakespeare play can be difficult for any actor.

But the students at Marysville Charter Academy for the Arts are up to the challenge. They will perform "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

"This is going to be very beautiful and also fun," said the play's director Wendie Marks.

The idea to do Shakespeare was not hers. "It was the kids who were pushing for Shakespeare," she said. "And we had four strong people. ... You don't do Shakespeare with high school kids unless they're really motivated."

"A Midsummer Night's Dream" features three plots, with the marriage of Theseus of Athens (Ben Olsen) to the Amazon Queen Hippolyta (Gabrielle Hayes) connecting them.

The first plot involves Hermia (Caraya Lende) wanting to marry Lysander (Cameron Night) against the wishes of her father, who wants her to marry Demetrius (Austin McReynolds). Helena (Mariah Kuhn), meanwhile, pines for Demetrius, but he is in love with Hermia.

The second plot involves Oberon (Ryan Coney), king of the fairies, his estranged queen, Titania (Tamara Gresham), and his jester, Puck (Sarah Kuhn). Oberon and Puck come across Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius and Helena, and Oberon orders Puck to use a love potion on the foursome to confuse their feelings for each other.

The third plot concerns an acting troupe — which Puck calls "rude mechanicals" — performing a play. The leader of the troupe is Peter Quince (Alayna Koen).

"I love that it's got all these different levels," Marks said. "You have elves, fairies, laborers, Titania and Oberon. There's a sense of other worlds, and we're showing that by having seventh- and eighth-graders playing fairies.

"There will be moments (in this production) that are very beautiful," she said.