The traveling theater program returns for its third season with six free performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Rapid City and Hill City.
Now entering its third summer season, BHCT Summer Stage returns June 5–14 with a touring production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Rather than performing inside a traditional theater, the company will take the show on the road with stops in Hill City and Rapid City, bringing live theater directly into parks, community spaces, and outdoor gathering spots around the region.
Directed by BHCT Artistic Director Merlyn Q. Sell, this year’s production has been specifically designed for touring. A small cast of local performers takes on Shakespeare’s tale of mischievous fairies, confused lovers, and magical mishaps using a streamlined production that can travel from venue to venue throughout the week.
Part of what makes Summer Stage different is the atmosphere. Audiences are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets, and even a picnic dinner. Before each performance, members of BHCT’s Apprentice Company lead theater games and activities for younger audience members, including opportunities to create magical flowers and learn songs that may become part of the evening’s performance.
The production features local performers Anna Auchampach, Brady Jones, Jess Zemlicka, and Apprentice Company members Delanee Dame, Charlotte Grey, Willa Lecy, Leah-Anne Kjerstad, and Vienna Waby. Assistant directors Marissa Fosberg and Charlotte Grey, both former Apprentice Company participants themselves, join Sell’s creative team.
Summer Stage has become a different kind of theater experience than audiences might expect from a night at the Performing Arts Center. There are no rows of fixed seats, no lobby, and no curtain call inside a darkened auditorium. Instead, Shakespeare unfolds in parks, breweries, and community spaces where families can settle onto the grass, children can move around when they need to, and passersby sometimes discover a play simply by wandering into the park.
All performances are free and open to the public. This year’s tour includes stops at Cohort Brewery in Hill City, Robbinsdale Park, Roosevelt Park, the Dahl Arts Center, Raider Park, and the Performing Arts Center.
