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NeoPolitical Cowgirls' 2022 production of Shakespeare's “A Midsummer Night's Dream” at Mulford Farm. This year, the company presents "The Dreamer" at LongHouse Reserve on August 17, 18 and 20. COURTESY NEOPOLITICAL COWGIRLS
NeoPolitical Cowgirls' 2022 production of Shakespeare's “A Midsummer Night's Dream.” This year, the company presents "The Dreamer" at LongHouse Reserve on August 17, 18 and 20. COURTESY NEOPOLITICAL COWGIRLS
What if Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” came from the psyche of a 12-year-old girl on the cusp of becoming a woman? What would her subconscious unleash, what inner struggles would be revealed, what hopes illuminated? What societal commentary on her identity, body and power might be transformed from chaos into balance as she journeys through the dark forest of her dream?
The Neo-Political Cowgirls (NPC), the not-for-profit dance theater collective based in East Hampton led by artistic director Kate Mueth, will present “The Dreamer (A ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream as Seen Through the Eyes of a Young Girl’)” on August 17, 18 and 20 at 6 p.m. at LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton. The production is presented in partnership with LongHouse Reserve and Robin Aren Productions.
Now in its 17th season, NPC is known for physically wild, heart-centered story interpretations often told in alternative and outdoor spaces. This production, devised to be presented through the lens of the psyche of a girl on the immediate cusp of womanhood, utilizes wild physicality, costumes by designer Yuka Silvera and Shakespeare’s classic text to explore power, identity, love, transformation, and the intensity of society’s patriarchal impression on young people’s spirits.
Kate Mueth, in collaboration with her husband, Josh Gladstone, co-direct a diverse cast who bring this new NPC work straight from their wildly successful run Off-Broadway run at HERE Arts Center this past spring.
The production features Vanessa Walters, Rhys Tivey, Trevor Vaughn, Vanessa Lynah, Max Samuels, Amanda Nichols, Stephanie Orta-Vázquez, Dan Kelly, Annie-Sage White, Meaghan Roubichard, Mary Minard, Emma Engel, Jade Diskin, Violet Spann, Alexandra Taylor, Lucia Schwartz and Gigi Grace performing the title role.
Performance dates for the limited run are Thursday, Friday and Sunday, August 17,18, and 20, at 6 p.m. The show takes place outdoors at LongHouse Reserve, 133 Hands Creek Road, East Hampton. Picnics, blankets and low-slung chairs are encouraged. Tickets are $32 ($350 for VIP pods of four people), $25 for senior citizens and those under 18 at npcowgirls.org.
Staff Writer on Jul 31, 2023