At this moment in time, working on this play has felt like a true gift. Each day has been a reminder of the joy found in coming together—in play, collaboration, and shared purpose—alongside artists and technicians of extraordinary skill and imagination, surrounded by mountains and rivers. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is, indeed, a very special place.
Bringing Midsummer to life has asked us to delve into a story that weaves together nature and civilization, love and dreams, creativity and time, the conscious and the subconscious—and to explore the ways these forces shape one another and transform into theatrical language.
We are all part of this vast tapestry we call life on Earth, where the sun animates our days and night offers rest, mystery, and at times, wild visions. We share this world with countless beings, each a universe unto themselves.
Powerful forces collide in this play: a kingdom governed by rigid laws, especially for women; a community of workers dreaming of creating something extraordinary; young people propelled by unrestrained passion; and a dream realm where opposing energies unsettle the land, even as mischievous fairies sing, revel, and observe. At the heart of it all is a dimension we visit every night yet barely understand—a realm where magic thrives, instincts are unleashed, and what we call “reality” can shift in astonishing ways.
We humans are gifted with sleep. In dreams, we enter a world ruled not by reason but by wonder. Love there is perhaps untamed—illogical, yet profoundly real in how deeply it can move and even transform us. This is the world we enter in the forest of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a place where fairies move unseen, shaping hearts and destinies. The play reminds us that what touches us most deeply often escapes language and certainty. Even foolishness can become sacred, and community becomes magic when we create together in love. We leave this story not with answers, but with enchantment—carrying a trace of the dream back into our waking lives.
—Marcela Lorca