Kids to bring Shakespeare to LaPolt Park

By RICHARD A. ROSS

LIBERTY, NY — Mark your calendar for an event that figures to be most special and entertaining. A group of young people under the direction of Oliver King will present Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on August 19 and 26 at 7:00 p.m at La Polt Park in Liberty.

The production, which is to be presented by Sullivan Performing Arts, now in its 31st year, is a remarkable collaboration between many agencies that have one common denominator: helping kids by engaging them in meaningful and positive activities. It’s a mission that King has been committed to for more than 15 years. His agency, Teen Link to Community, will be aligning itself with The Center For Workforce Development, which will have nine young people involved in the production. Other agencies including Sullivan Youth Advocates, The Department of Family Services and The Recovery Center have united their energies behind King’s vision of giving kids a chance to act out Shakespeare in a venue that was originally designed for outdoor theatre but has yet to be used as such since its opening.

The stage at LaPolt Park has been used for concerts and readings but never for a play. This summer’s Concert Series at LaPolt Park begins on Friday July 22 and will feature musical performances through August 12. An African Journey in the Park will return on August 27 and the Liberty Jazz Festival will be held on September 3 and 4. But on August 19 and 26, the stage will feature the kids’ portrayal of Shakespeare’s delightful comedy of mistaken identity, intertwining interaction between the world of faeries and men and the impish pranks that result in mayhem and laughable confusion.

On July 10, King gathered his young cast on the stage at LaPolt Park for a first read-through on the open air stage. Audience members sat around the circles of actors to listen in as the young thespians worked their way through King’s adaptation of the script.

Awilda Nieves will star as Titania, Queen of the Faeries, and will play opposite Kienan Garn of Lake Huntington who will make his dramatic debut as King Oberon, Titania’s jealous opposite. Alexander Rockicki will play the part of the impish Puck, also known as Robin Goodfellow. Devin Kaminsky, a recent graduate of Tri-Valley, plays Demetrius, one of the four confused human lovers whose lives are turned upside down by Puck’s botched spell. Vincent Seekamp, a senior at Monticello High School, will play Lysander, Priscilla Brown will star as Hermia and Rachel Zimmerman will complete the fooled foursome in the forest as Helena.

Other kids involved in the play include Brian Calarino as Snug the Joiner, Desi Oxford as Starveling the Tailor, Charlotte Ference as Katie Quince the weaver, Jonathon Bryant as Bottom, Toni Anderson as Cobweb, Kelvin Wyche as Francis Flute, Robin Henderson as one of Oberton’s sprites, Nico LoCascio as the changeling, Maurice DeBose as another of Oberon’s sprites and Katrina Rockicki as Moth. Kelli Lightle, a senior at Liberty, will serve as stage manager and King’s right-hand gal.

The kids seemed excited about the prospect of doing the play. “I really wanted to be in this play,” said Henderson. Wyche, a family friend of King’s and an experienced young actor who has performed in “Footloose,” was anxious to expand his acting credentials. Kaminsky, a veteran of BOCES Theatre Arts program and numerous Tri-Valley productions, has demonstrated his great stage presence numerous times. Garn, a gymnast with the Monticello Gymnastics Club, will employ his tumbling agility as he juggles rehearsals for the play with a summer of gymnastics, soccer camp and summer league basketball.

King noted that production is operating on a shoestring budget and encouraged the public to take ads in the Sullivan Performing Arts journal or to contribute lumber, fabric or their skills to the play. For further information call 845/434-0175.