Hartford Stage To Hold

Open House On October 4

HARTFORD — Hartford Stage will celebrate its 45th anniversary season with an open house on Saturday, October 4, from 11 am until 4 pm. The event will feature a special performance from both the current MainStage production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the Breakdancing Shakespeare version of William Shakespeare’s classic.

The afternoon will also includes theatre facility tours given by Hartford Stage staff and board members, theatrical make-up and arts and crafts workshops, a bake sale to benefit the Bulkeley High School renovation, and an interactive dance workshop led by the students from this year’s Breakdancing Shakespeare production, Antony and Cleopatra.

The centerpiece of the event will be the dual performance of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream that explores two interpretations of this classic piece, highlighting the creativity and ingenuity that come with adapting a work for the stage. Each performance hour will pair the “play within a play” scene from Lisa Peterson’s current production of Midsummer with the same scene performed by students from the Breakdancing Shakespeare ensemble.

The performance will present the unique vision of each production and showcase the vitality and diversity of artistic work and education programs at Hartford Stage. Performances will be at noon and 2 pm, and will last one hour.

Facility tours and workshops will take place both before and between the performances.

All events are free and open to the public. Seating for all performances are general admission on a first come, first served basis.

Hartford Stage, at 50 Church Street in downtown Hartford, can be reached for more information at 860-527-5151.