Dear Friends,

Peri Beckerman is eleven years old, personable, smart, sweet, and talented enough to be one of eight local children cast in our autumn production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM.

At the Germantown Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting this Monday night, during the public hearing, TSC found ourselves needing to fight for civic support of our expanding education programming for our Second Stage Season.

Once again, the chambers were filled with TSC and civic funding supporters who rose as one before the Board. Nearly 20 citizens spoke, from Mr. Chris Cotten (an outstanding federal prosecutor) to Mr. Darrell Hugueley (one of our county's tremendous teachers at Cordova Middle School) and people of all ages and walks of life.

But Peri, who was due in the dentist's chair for serious work the next morning, strode to the microphone on her own. She had written a speech, but she didn't need it. She spoke for one minute about her love of Shakespeare (she's a Puck enthusiast), and she spoke on behalf of all young people who should be exposed to his words. When she thanked the Mayor and the Aldermen for listening to her, Peri received the only applause of the night. It was spontaneous, heart-felt, and duly earned.

Peri articulated a personal love in a public forum, a forum in obvious conflict. This typically takes the courage and conviction of a classically-trained actor. Monday night, it took Peri, and it took only one minute. She galvanized the room.

I'm no Peri Beckerman, but I'll try.

We are launching our annual appeal this month.

There is remarkable motivation and energy around TSC's education program, performance season, and plans for helping to create an al fresco outdoor amphitheatre in Germantown in 2010. Mostly, though, there is positive, inquiring, life-affirming energy in our community: one of the great manifestations of theatre.

Would you please renew your tax-deductible contribution to Tennessee Shakespeare Company on-line here or by mail today? If you are a first-time donor or would like to increase your gift, you may sponsor a specific actor/role in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. Please send me an email, and I will be glad to talk to you about the roles, what your sponsorship would look like in our playbill, and the respective sponsoring levels that are still available.

Just don't ask for Peri. As you might suspect after Monday night, her performance is now taken.

Much love,

Dan

Thank you to everyone who joined us at Elfo's Restaurant for an over-sold Much Ado Monday - on Wednesday. More than 90 guests filled the room to capacity, and Elfo's even added a table to let more people in!

Of the 15 guests who stood and unfolded themselves during dessert, our three finalists were AJ Heinz, Anna Sharp, and Elise Masur (pictured above with Dan). Our playful and honorable Judges were Germantown Alderman Ernest Chism, Germantown Alderman Carole Hinely, with TSC Board Member Bobby Lanier as our advisor.

AJ Heinz received the loudest cheers and table-stomping for his cross-gartered piece as a much-mistreated Malvolio from Twelfth Night!

Beverly Bond entered the Grand Drawing for the Stratford-on-Avon Shakespeare Experience to be announced at our September Gala, and she won Monday night's mini-drawing and a copy of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Full details from the Dinner are here.

All the photos are now on-line. Click here to see them!

On Monday, June 29 we will continue our Tuscan theme in Memphis at Ronnie Grisanti's on Poplar Avenue.

On July 27, we head to Jim's Place in Collierville, on Houston Levee Road.

And our final Much Ado Monday Dinner of 2009 will be on a Thursday! Brushmark Restaurant at the Brooks Museum in Memphis will host us on Thursday, August 20. Prior to dinner, we will perform a new 30-minute piece in the museum's downstairs auditorium, titled "Shakespeare's Bottomless Dream." It's a fun exploration of where the truth lies in Shakespeare's conscious and unconscious worlds.

At each Dinner, by audience applause, a winner is selected to return to the Gala for the final round in our playful competition. That night's audience favorite will win a walk-on role in A Midsummer Night's Dream!

It's all in good fun, and playfulness is sometimes more popular with the crowd than actual rehearsal. So dust off your Sonnets, google "Shakespeare Monologues," and come out and play! Someone will win - could it be you?

After hundreds of auditions, and thousands of submissions, we are pleased to announce the cast of A Midsummer Night's Dream! There are some familiar faces, and many new actors we can't wait to introduce to you:

Brittany Morgan, last year's Phebe, returns as the feisty Hermia and as TSC's Box Office Assistant Manager.

Brittany will be paired with another familiar actor, New Yorker Gabriel Vaughan. Gabe played Silvius last year, and will be reunited with Brittany as her Lysander.

The other pair of young Athenian lovers are Vanessa Morosco as Helena and Jordan Kaplan as Demetrius. Both come to us from New York.

From Denmark, Charlotte Schioler will play Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons; and Titania, Queen of the Fairies. Her betrothed in the play is Johnny Lee Davenport (pictured above in Hamlet), a well-known actor from stage and film who will double as Duke Theseus and as Oberon, King of the Fairies.

Titania's lead fairy is the elegant Peaseblossom, played by Caley Milliken from Massachusetts. Peaseblossom's male counterpart is Oberon's impish assistant Puck, played by local favorite, Slade Kyle. Caley and Slade also will be responsible for choreographing the dances and fights.

Peaseblossom is charged with the care of the other fairies, to be played by eight local children: Peri Beckerman, Carmen Bouey, Kendall Christian, Zoe Mazzu, Allison Miller, Taylor Murray, and Kati Timmerman will all be under the watchful eye of professional child-wrangler, Miller Whittington. Young Natasha Meher, as the Changeling Child, will bring peaceful resolution to the lovers' conflicts of day and night.

Gypsy Mechanicals, trying desperately to put on a pleasing play themselves, will include Mid-South performer Darius Wallace as the demanding Egeus and timid Snug the Joiner; Dave Demke from Massachusetts as their frustrated leader Peter Quince; Jason Hansen, a constant fixture around TSC events, as Snout; Kenneth de Abrew from Louisianna as Flute; and the returning Michael Khanlarian as the shaky Starveling.

Tony Molina, who played both Dukes in As You Like It last fall, will return from Atlanta as the genial Bottom. And we are very pleased to announce that Memphis Symphony Concert Master Susanna Perry Gilmore and her violin will join us on stage once again.

A number of these artists will also teach workshops, residencies, and Master Classes while in town. Watch the newsletter to find out who and when!