A theater director challenged residents’ imaginations through body, voice and visual games to help get them ready to perform a play written more than four centuries ago. William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” will be shortened and adapted to reflect Madera, however.
The workshop Discovering Madera’s Midsummer drew 10 people to the Blanche Galloway Room of the Madera County Library headquarters Saturday. People attended alone, in pairs or entire families to learn about theater and language from Shakespeare for All Madera director Stephen Muterspaugh, who is also part of The San Francisco Shakespeare Festival.
The nonprofit organization received a $200,000 grant from the James Irvine Foundation to make the arts more accessible in communities that are lacking and to strengthen ties between art enthusiasts in places that aren’t. Madera County’s Chowchilla and Madera were among only four cities chosen in the Central Valley to be part of the project.
The Nassar family was enthusiastic about the project and looking forward to play day, March 23...