JHS STUDENTS BRING SHAKESPEARE TO STAGE

Shakespeare is coming to the Jackson High School stage this week.

The Jackson High School Drama Club will present its 1999 spring play, A Midsummer Night's Dream" at 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday in the JHS Auditorium.

The pesentation is a version adapted by Doug McClure from the original Shakespeare play. Tracy Fisher will direct the production, with Gabe Hartwig and Connie Aufdenberg serving as student directors and jack Johannes as stage manager.

In the classic play, Hermia (Meredith Lape) loves Lysander (Ben Martin), but is under orders from her father, Egeus (Andy Conklin) and the Duke, Theseus (Brett Price), to marry Demetrius (Josh Zinner). She and Lysander escape to the forest, followed by Demetrius, who in turn is pursued by Helena (Lydia Blades), who loves him.

Oberon, king of the fairies (Andrew Luehrs), has had a falling out with his wife, Titania (Kelly Shields) and talls his servant Puck (Jeni Zinner) to squeeze love juice on her eyes so that she falls in love with the first person she sees. He also orders Puck to sue the love juice to sort out the young lovers' problems.

This, heowver, goes wrong and both men end up chasing Helena. Titania, meanwhile, has fallen in love with Nick Bottom (Josh Tomlin), a weaver, who has been given a donkey's head by Puck.

Oberon and Titania resolve their quarrel and Puck uses magic to resotre the four lovers to happy couples. Egeus and the Duke arrive and the runaways are forgiven.

The weddings of Hermia and Lysander and Helena and Emetrius take place, along with the Duke's own wedding to Hippolyta (Heather Graham). At the wedding, Bottom and his fellow workmen, dubbed "rude mechanicals," perform a play.

Other cast members include Katie Fink as Fairy no. 1, Alisha McIntyre as Peaseblossom, Emily O'Loughlin as Mote, Bethany Held at Mustardseed, Jennifer Nelson as Cobweb, Tim Nicolai as Peter Flute, Mark Anderson as Tom Snout, Chris Shank as Snug, Lucas Rouggly as Robin Starveling and Shannon Rhodes as the Indian boy. Fairies in Oberon's and Titania's bands are Laura Wissehr, Patti Gray, Jennier Buckner and Jenise Lichtenegger, while lords and ladies at the wedding feast are A.J. Biri, Kristen Bundy and Amanda Barton.

Admission is $4 to the production.