Coming Attraction

The premier reading of Nick's Dream last night went very well. The actors -- Judy Hart (as Paulina and who also served as Producer and Director), Sean Schmeits (as Nick Bottom), Andrea Swartz (as Hero), Larry Mota (as Valentine), Amy Jirsa (as Beatrice), Dick Nielsen (as Antonio), and Brad Boesen (as Proteus) -- were resourceful, convincing, and delightful. Our troubador, Ember Schrag, provided wonderfully evocative songs at the start of scenes, while Playwright and Dramaturg Stephen Buhler provided a musical setting of Sonnet 138 as a placeholder until Ember composes another song.

The audience consisted mostly of Judy Hart's Doane College-Lincoln Introduction to Theater class; it also included local theater luminaries like Connie Dillow. The work-in-progress works remarkably well already. Comments from the audience were appreciative and helpful: look for the finished product to be staged in the Fall and to go on the road.

Flatwater Shakespeare owes Judy Hart and the Angels Company many thanks for making the first reading possible -- and we also owe the actors a great deal for their generous contributions of talent, insight, and creative suggestions to the project.