Meadow Sky Productions strolls onto the Central Oregon theater scene this fall with its debut production, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The play will run for six shows, October 4-12, at High Desert Music Hall, Redmond.
“We’re a local production company with ambitious goals,” said David Purkey, Meadow Sky founder and director. “I believe we are one of the few theater companies in Central Oregon to commit to paying our actors; that in itself is an astronomical goal, but we’re committing to it from our first production onward.”
The cast of 14, ages 16 and up, features a diverse group of individuals from the community. Each member is guaranteed a percentage of total ticket sales. While honoring Shakespeare’s original plot and language, literary scholars might notice a trimmed script, with hopes of making it more accessible for a modern audience.
“Fairies, lovers and mischief remain, but in a form that will draw our audience in rather than pushing them away,” Purkey said. “We intend to honor the tradition of Shakespeare performance that includes the audience in the story. Fairies run through aisles, lovers chase with swords, and even royalty deigns to acknowledge the attending crowd throughout our show.”
Purkey and his team hope to not only gain revenue, but a following and community over the first few years in business, in order to proceed to the next goal of acquiring a black box theater performance space for Meadow Sky, as well as a local rehearsal and performance venue for other theater companies.
“So far, I’m self-funded, and our first production revenue will determine if we sail forward in calm waters or stormy seas,” he said. “Dreaming ahead, owning and running a theater complex that could also host dance, acting, voice, and other performing arts classes for our community would be wonderful. I envision a space where local families gather shoulder to shoulder with worldwide tourists for many evenings of dining, joy and world-class entertainment.”
Concessions and a full bar will be available at all shows. Tickets are $25. For tickets or more information, please visit meadowskyproductions.com.
About Meadow Sky Productions:
Meadow Sky Productions is a Central Oregon theater company with a mission to: entertain the regional community with stories and art that celebrate human experience and truth; educate the acting community through practice, performance and placement; and grow to expand its classes, shows and casting to meet the needs of the community. Meadow Sky is committed to providing events and artistic education that cultivate unity, joy and stability for all involved by creating an inclusive, safe space, paying its actors and production team, and telling stories meant to inspire and uplift every theater patron.