Love, Mischief, and Acrobatics descend on Chetzemoka Park, August 7-30, 2015.

Take two sets of misguided lovers, throw in a handful of mischievous fairies, top it all off with a healthy dose of vaudevillian acrobatics and what do you get? A play with something for everyone!

One of Shakespeare’s most beloved and oft performed plays, A Midsummer Night’s Dream tells the story of the unseen, imagined forces that can wreak havoc, hilarity, and confusion upon everyday life. Director Duncan Frost notes, “Midsummer is a play of love and magic that challenges us to examine the wavering line between imagination and reality, especially when it comes to matters of the heart.”

Set adrift between these realities, a group of young Athenian lovers embark on an increasingly absurd journey of misdirected love potions, prankster fairy Kings, and plays within plays so ridiculous they mock the very institution of theater.

A classic in motion

Speaking on why A Midsummer Night’s Dream has become one of Shakespeare’s most enduring plays, Frost praises its ability to juxtapose reality and the dream state. He says, “Theatre asks us to suspend our disbelief and dive into the dream-like world of the play for a time before being released from its spell. Few plays embrace that idea in the way that Midsummer does.”

Frost also emphasizes the importance of the park setting to this production, saying, “so many of the characters in this play get lost, transformed, and confused. It is much easier to create confusion on stage when you have the versality of an open space.”

Helping to add to that surreal environment is Tomoki Sage, who, in addition to playing the role of the impish elf Puck, is serving as the production’s Movement Coach. One of the founding members of “Acrobaticalist Ninja Theatre” troupe Nanda, Sage is helping to set this production of Midsummer apart from others by employing aspects of circus, tumbling, silent film, and physical storytelling to help create the magic of the play. Expressing his excitement about the physical freedom imparted by the park setting, he says, “by offering so many different levels and depths to play from, the outdoor stage creates more exciting ways to enter and exit scenes than I’ve ever experienced in a show before.”

And, of course, in addition to providing the ideal location for this forest-bound misadventure, Chetzemoka Park is the perfect place to spend a summer evening in Port Townsend! So, whether theatre-goers come for the magic, the mischief, or the beautiful waterside setting, KCPT’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is sure to please!

Details

Performances run August 7-30, 2015 outdoors at Chetzemoka Park (Jackson & Blaine Streets) in Port Townsend, Fridays through Sundays at 6 p.m. (Open seating begins at 5:30 p.m.). Running time is about two hours, including one intermission.

Audience members are encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs for seating on the grass and to dress warmly for when the sun goes down. Picnic fare is welcome. Concessions will also be sold. For those with limited mobility, golf cart transport will be provided from the park entrance at Jackson and Blaine Streets down the hill to the performance venue.

Admission is by suggested donation. Advance tickets/info are available from the playhouse box office at 360-385-KCPT (5278), or online at http://www.keycitypublictheatre.org/.

Oberon (David Natale) and Puck (Tomoki Sage) use their magical powers to manipulate the thoughts and desires of a group of young lovers in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, playing August 7^th– 30^th at KCPT’s Shakespeare in the Park in Port Townsend’s Chetzemoka Park. Photo by Phil Baumgaertner.

Come to Port Townsend for a taste of the Piedmont, with concerts and club shows Wednesday, Friday & Saturday – July 29-August 1.

The Port Townsend Acoustic Blues Festival is a weeklong gathering at Centrum at Fort Worden – and it is one of the largest celebrations of traditional blues in the nation. Concerts feature players and music from regions where pre-war country blues were formed — Piedmont, the Delta, Mississippi Hill Country, New Orleans, Texas and more. Immerse yourself in the African – American history and traditions from which blues has grown.

Mainstage shows at McCurdy Pavilion cap off a week-long workshop for nearly 250 passionate acoustic blues students taught by artists from across the country. Club shows and a massive Saturday mainstage performances transform Port Townsend into the summer blues getaway.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Rag, Blues & Zydeco Dance
7:30 PM – USO Building

Featured Artists: Alice Stuart, Andy Cohen, Beareather Reddy, Dean Mueller, Gene Taylor, Jay Summerour, Jerie Choi, Jerron Paxton, Leroy Etienne, Orville Johnson, Phil Wiggins, Sunpie Barnes, Terry Waldo and friends.

Saturday, August 1, 2015

Acoustic Blues Showcase
1:30 PM – McCurdy Pavilion – Fort Worden State Park

Featured Artists: Artistic Director Jerron Paxton; Alice Stuart; Andy Cohen; Beareather Reddy; Cyd Smith; Gene Taylor; Jerie Choi; Lightnin’ Wells; Michael Jerome Browne; Samuel James; The Sherman Holmes Project with Brooks Long and Cora Harvey Armstrong; Terry Waldo; Tom Feldmann; and special guests.

Blues in the Clubs: July 31-August 1, 2015

Friday and Saturday Night – 8:00 PM

Blues in the Clubs is a moveable feast of great music in various downtown venues, with each venue operating on a first-come, first-seated basis. Your wristband is an all access pass, and we encourage you to move around throughout the evening to gain the full benefit of the clubs experience. Venue hosts will help direct you to available seating or standing room options

Venues: American Legion Hall, Cellar Door, Cotton Building, Key City Public Theatre, The Boiler Room, and The Public House

Featured Artists: Alice Stuart, Andy Cohen, Beareather Reddy, Brooks Long, Cyd Smith, Daryl Davis, Dean Mueller, Gene Taylor, Jay Summerour, Jerie Choi, Jerron Paxton, John Miller, Lauren Sheehan, Leroy Etienne, Lightnin’ Wells, Mark Puryear, Mary Flower, Micah Kesselring, Michael Jerome Browne, Orville Johnson, Pat Donohue, Paul Asbell, Phil Wiggins, Rich DelGrosso, Samuel James, Steve James, Sunpie Barnes, Terry
Harmonica Bean, Terry Waldo, Tom Feldmann, Valerie Turner and special guests

Washington’s longest-running summer jazz festival returns July 23-25!

Jazz Port Townsend is the perfect opportunity to experience excellent musicians, soak up a weekend of jazz in a seaside paradise and participate in a wide array of mainstage and nightclub performances.

Produced by the Centrum Foundation at Fort Worden State Park, JPT works with Artistic Director John Clayton to inspire a true sense of family during this special week of events that showcases internationally-known performers in new and unexpected pairings. Jazz Port Townsend has emerged as one of the leading jazz festivals in the nation.

Festival mainstage performances take place in Fort Worden State Park’s 1200-seat McCurdy Pavilion. Jazz Port Townsend also features the popular “Jazz in the Clubs” series, where intimate venues in downtown Port Townsend, WA, come alive with the sounds of jazz.

Friday, July 24, 2015

7:30 p.m. – McCurdy Pavilion – Fort Worden State Park

Maucha Adnet and Trio
Bossa Always Nova
Maucha Adnet, vocals
Jovino Santos Neto, piano
Nilson Matta, bass
Duduka Da Fonseca, drums

Regina Carter & Friends
Regina Carter, violin
Benny Green, piano
John Clayton, bass
Alvester Garnett, drums

Saturday, July 25, 2015

1:30 p.m. – McCurdy Pavilion – Fort Worden State Park

Trio da Paz
Romero Lubambo, guitar
Nilson Matta, bass
Duduka Da Fonseca, drums

“Some Morning”: Kim Nazarian & Friends
Kim Nazarian, vocals
Eric Reed, piano
Jon Hamar, bass
Jeff Hamilton, drums

All-Star Big Band
Directed by and featuring the music of Bob Mintzer

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7:30 p.m. – McCurdy Pavilion – Fort Worden State Park

Latitude Adjustment
Steve Wilson, alto
Romero Lubambo, guitar
George Cables, piano

Sit Down, Hang On
Bob Mintzer, tenor sax
Dayna Stephens, tenor sax
Sean Jones, trumpet
Terell Stafford, trumpet
Benny Green, piano
John Clayton, bass
Jeff Hamilton, drums

Jazz in the Clubs: July 23-25, 2015

Admission: $25 for wristband (Read our wristband policy)

Thursday, July 23, 8pm

Cotton Building, Public House and American Legion Hall ONLY

Friday and Saturday, July 24-25, 10pm

American Legion Hall, Cellar Door, Cotton Building, Key City Public Theatre, Pope Marine Building, Public House, Rose Theatre