A Midsummer Night’s Dream

By William Shakespeare
Adapted and directed by Rosalind Faires

September 29 – October 16, 2022
At the Round Rock Amphitheater

Thursdays – Sundays at 7:30pm
No performance on Sunday, October 9th

Free admission! No reservation needed.

We’re back for the 10th year of Penfold in the Park! As Lysandra and Hermia flee Athens’ oppressive laws into a forest full of meddlesome fairies, will love come out on top? This new spin on the classic story places all 21 characters in the hands of 4 virtuosic performers for a free night of fun for the whole family!

PRESS FROM PREVIOUS YEARS OF PENFOLD IN THE PARK

“Delightful and very funny… All ages will enjoy the dancing, love, loss and character work. Do yourself a favor, grab some friends and head to Round Rock for this classic.” -Broadway World Austin

Price: Free (donations appreciated)
Run time: 2 hours
For ages: Middle school and up

Need help? Email us or dial (512) 850-4849.

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Cast

Yunina Barbour-Payne

Taylor Flanagan

Kevin Percival

Dane Parker

Production Team

Adapted and directed by Rosalind Faires
Stage Manager, Oscar Franco
Production Manager, Carl Gonzales
Costume Designer, Jenny Hanna Chambers
Sound Designer, Lowell Bartholomee
Set, Lighting, and Props Designer, Natalie George
Technical Director, Jacob Foster
Intimacy Consultant, Cate Tucker

Gallery

Special Events

Sunday, October 2: Midsummer Pride Night

Arrive by 7:10pm for an opening address from the founder of Round Rock Pride and pre-show performance by Kween Kee-Kee! Then enjoy the show surrounded by community and love. Half the proceeds from the performance will go directly to the vital work of OutYouth.

About OutYouth: For 32 years, Out Youth has supported Central Texas LGBTQIA+ youth and young adults by providing safe places where they are loved, acknowledged, and accepted for exactly who they are. Their life-saving and life-changing programs and services ensure these promising young people develop into happy, healthy, successful adults. Out Youth hosts a variety of programs to keep their youth mentally and physically safe such as drop-in times at their youth community center, by offering free individual counseling and group therapy sessions, and through their in-school-support services. To find out more information about ways to get involved and about their services, please visit outyouth.org today.

Saturday, October 15: ASL Interpreted Performance

Come experience this spectacular show and enjoy top-notch interpretation by Ploeger ASL Interpreting.

Sunday, October 16: Closing Night Costume Contest

The costumes onstage are jaw-dropping, but we don’t want to have all the fun! At intermission, we’ll decide on a youth costume winner and an 18+ costumer winner. Because you don’t NEED another excuse to wear your awesome costume before the 31st, but why not have one anyway?

Location

Round Rock Amphitheater

301 W Bagdad Ave
Round Rock, TX 78664
See map

Parking: Free parking in surface parking lot and garage

Frequently Asked Questions:

Any tips for finding the venue?

Try plugging W Bagdad Ave and S Harris St into your GPS and then follow the big sign to the free parking garage. Or if you prefer surface parking, plug S Brown St and W Florence St into your GPS and you should see a large lot next to a large stone sign for “Centennial Plaza.” Unfortunately there is a venue with a deceptively similar name, so we recommend using the address, not the name.

Is there reserved seating?

No, there’s no reserved seating. You can arrive as early as 5:30pm to save a space on the grass. On October 15th , ASL interpretation will be provided. For that night only, an area will be reserved so those using interpretation for language access have a good view of the interpreters and the stage.

What should I bring with me?

The weather is becoming absolutely divine, so you might want to bring some sleeves for when the sun goes down and the evening chill rolls in. We also recommend bringing a blanket or folding chairs. We have snacks, drinks and bug repellent for sale at the concessions window, though you’re welcome to bring your own (no glass bottles please).

Can I buy dinner there?

Our concession snacks aren’t quite a meal, but there are many restaurants less than half a mile away in Round Rock’s historic  downtown district.

What about dogs?

Pets are welcome! We do ask your help by keeping them on a leash and cleaning up after them.

Is this show really free?

Yes! There’s no cost and no reservation required. If you’d like to ensure free theatre under the stars continues in Round Rock, consider making a donation!

Is there an intermission?

Yes, there’s a 10-minute intermission. (Portable restrooms are available on site.)

Is this facility ADA compliant?

Yes, there are accessible parking spaces, sidewalks, ramps and an ADA compliant portable restroom.

Are there any COVID safety rules?

Because the risk of transmission is lower for outdoor events, we are not requiring audience members to wear masks. If you’d like to know what we’re doing to protect our cast and crew, email us at info@penfoldtheatre.org.

Who do I contact for help?

Reach out to us at info@penfoldtheatre.org or (512) 850-4849.

A Note from the Director: Rosalind Faires

A Midsummer Night’s Dream isn’t overrated—it’s correctly rated.
 
It’s got everything—beautiful poetry, hilarious prose, magic and the mundane, romance and clowning. In one moment, Shakespeare’s establishing life and death stakes for some kids in love and the next, he’s showing you the start of a prank war between immortal spouses. It’s full of language that we recognize—yes, from English class, but also from popular culture. And it’s full of characters we’ve been rooting for for some 426 years. It’s a classic story. It’s a silly story. And this time around, it’s a queer story, too.
 
I want to be clear—Penfold’s founders Ryan and Nathan said I could have more actors. But A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a play filled with fours—the lovers, the fairies that serve Titania, the mortal and magical rulers, the number of couples at the show’s conclusion, even the number of the plays Theseus chooses from as post-wedding entertainment. And it’s also so much about the inescapability of looking a little foolish from time to time—because that comes with being in love or trying a new hobby or just simply being a mortal on the receiving end of fairy pranks—that it felt right to push ourselves to the limit of what was possible with this play.
 
There are questions that Shakespeare doesn’t answer in this play that every production gets to solve in their own way. Why is Egeus so set against Lysander as a match for his daughter? Why did Helena and Demetrius break up before the play begins? My answer came from changing Lysander to Lysandra and Helena to Helenus. And in doing so, we made a world of equal-opportunity foolishness, where everyone does absolutely Looney Tunes things for love and ends up happy all the same.
  
I hope you will enjoy your time in our glittering forest, where everyone takes their turn looking silly, and emerges into the waking world, joyful and transformed.

Season Sponsors

Round Rock - Arts & Culture
Old Settlers Association
P&B Print and Design Studio
Texas Commission of the Arts