A Midsummer Night’s Dream Program

s t n e s e r p r e t a Key The

by William Shakespeare November 13, 14 & 15 at 7:30 p.m.

November 15 at 2:00 p.m.

2025

Di rector’s Notes Director’s Notes

Dust off your mix-tapes and put some pennies in your loafers because this isn't your English teacher’s Shakespeare. Welcome to New Athens—an 1980s’-inspired dreamscape that will shuttle Gen-Xers back to the days of landlines, boomboxes, and pegged-legged preppiness.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream has survived centuries of reinvention because it invites imagination. This production takes that invitation seriously (but not too seriously). We’ve trimmed a few lines, altered a few roles, added some music, and focused on fun! One significant change we made was to give Hippolyta and Hermia a bit more agency and power than the original script offers. We did this through line swaps with Theseus and Lysander and blocking choices.

Our students have worked their leg warmers off, adding music and dance to the show, refining stage combat, and tackling Shakespearean verse. Behind the scenes, they contributed to musical direction, choreography, set and prop design and construction, and even directing. I am so proud of all they accomplished and how flexible they were throughout the rehearsal process!

Most of all, I am proud of how kind and encouraging they have been to each other.

So, sit back and enjoy the shimmer and chaos of our midsummer night!

Ms. DW

AA MIDS MIDSUMMER UMME R NIGHT’S NIGHT’S DREAM DREAM

By William Shakespeare

CAST ATHENIANS: in order of appearance THESEUS..................................................................................Caleb Smith HIPPOLYTA.........................................................................Cadence Felder EGEA...........................................................................Christiana Williams PHILOSTRATE......................................................................Gracie Bastian HERMIA..................................................................................Eden Charles LYSANDER................................................................................Ben Gendell DEMETRIUS...........................................................Castin Dillon-Williams HELENA...................................................................................Tatum Baker FAIRIES FAIRY 1 (featured dancer)..................................................Lucia Lochner FAIRY 2 (featured dancer)...................................................Aurora Mapp FAIRY 3 (dancer/singer)....................................................Cadence Felder FAIRY 4 (featured singer)......................................................Anya Cardiff MOTE (featured singer).............................................Christiana Williams PUCK.....................................................................................Imani Gikuuri OBERON..................................................................................Caleb Smith TITANIA................................................................................Grace Stevens PEASEBLOSSOM (cellist)....................................................Jun Kugelman MUSTARDSEED (featured singer)............................................Ben Coster COBWEB (featured dancer/singer)............................................Zoe’ Lyles MECHANICALS NICK BOTTOM...................................................................Conner Squires TAYLOR TWIST (one of the directors)...................................Anya Cardiff PETER QUINCE (one of the directors)..................................Chloe’ Billiart BARNABY FINCH (one of the directors).............................Julien Sabean STARVLING............................................................................Aurora Mapp SNOUT..................................................................................Lucia Lochner FLUTE....................................................................................Sam Brennan SNUG....................................................................................Jun Kugelman

Who’s Who in the Cast Tatum Baker (HELENA) Tatum is a sophomore and is so excited to be in their third Key School play. Tatum has been doing theater for almost ten years. Most recently, they have performed in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and The Play That Goes Wrong at Key School, Legally Blonde, The Musical at Children's Theatre of Annapolis, and The Drowsy Chaperone at Wiley H. Bates Middle School, where they also were in the creative writing and drama Apex program. Tatum is ecstatic to be a part of this production along with the amazing cast and crew.

Gracie Bastian (PHILOSTRATE, Props) Gracie is a sophomore and she is very excited for her first Shakespearean play! She has also been part of five other productions, including The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Play That Goes Wrong, and Matilda as the stage manager. Gracie is so excited to perform in A Midsummer Night’s Dream along with the amazing cast and crew.

Chloé Billiart (PETER QUINCE) Chloé is a ninth grader who is excited for her third Key production. Chloé was last seen in The Con, and The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon. Chloé has been acting for about six years in several productions in and outside of school. She is excited for her first Shakespeare production.

Sam Brennan (FLUTE/THISBE) Sam is a new eighth grader, after having moved to Maryland from Austin, TX. They have been an actor for five years, and also play guitar in a band. They are extremely excited to be working with Key’s theater department and are looking forward to being in more plays with the school.

Who’s Who in the Cast

Anya Cardiff (TAYLOR TWIST) Anya is a ninth grader and is really happy to be in her second Shakespeare play. She has been doing theater for three years and really enjoys it! She really is looking forward to hopefully being in Little Shop of Horrors this year and being in theater for the rest of Upper School.

Eden Charles (HERMIA) Eden is a ninth grader and very excited to be in her first Shakespeare play! She has been in theater for four years.

After this year, she will be in five productions for Key, along with others outside of Key! These shows include: The Con, A Simpler Time, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon, and, of course, A Midsummer Night’s Dream! She is so excited to be playing a lead role as a freshman!

Benjamin Coster (MUSTARDSEED, Featured Singer) Ben is a seventh grader and is excited to be in his second play ever. This is his first Shakespeare play, and he has worked hard. Ben has never rehearsed or been in any productions outside of Key, and the only other production he has been in was The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon, but he is excited nonetheless.

Castin Dillon-Williams (DEMETRIUS) Castin is an eighth grader and this is his fifth show here.

He is incredibly honored to be performing in an Upper School production as a Middle Schooler. He is also currently in Beetlejuice Jr. at Theater in the Park. He is very passionate about acting and is so excited to act in this wonderful show with this wonderful cast!

Who’s Who in the Cast Cadence Felder (HIPPOLYTA, FAIRY, Featured Dancer, Featured Singer, Assistant Choreographer) Cadence is a ninth grader and is doing her second show at Key School and her first Shakespeare show! She has been doing theater for seven years at Young Artists of America (YAA), Second Star Production’s, Junior Academy for the Performing Arts (JAPA) and of course Key School. Cadence also does competitive dance all year round and sings whenever possible. She is so excited to do this show and others to come!

Ben Gendell (LYSANDER) Ben is a senior and this is his first show ever. Ben plays four varsity sports and is looking to try something new with acting. He is very excited about the challenge of playing a big role in his first show.Ben has enjoyed it so far and is looking to hopefully be in the musical later this year.

Imani Gikuuri (ROBIN GOODFELLOW ~ “PUCK”, Choreographer) Imani is an eighth grader and this is her second show at Key School. She has also performed at Young Artists of America (YAA) and Junior Academy for the Performing Arts (JAPA). Currently, Imani is dancing competitive hip hop and taking vocal lessons. She is extremely grateful to be playing a lead role, despite being in Middle School.

Furthermore, she would like to thank her family, friends, and dog for their support and is thrilled to be performing her first-ever Shakespeare play.

Jun Kugelman (SNUG/LION, PEASEBLOSSOM) Jun is an eighth grader and he is performing his second theater show at Key. He is very enthusiastic to be in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He has played cello outside of school for five years and enjoys acting and performing.

He is looking forward to being in this play and being with an awesome cast.

Who’s Who in the Cast Lucia Lochner (SNOUT, FAIRY, Featured Dancer, Assistant Choreographer) Lucia is a ninth grader and is performing in her first production at Key School and her first Shakespearean play. Lucia has been in the performing arts for about ten years and has been doing theater for around five years.

Lucia did ballet and performed The Nutcracker at the Kennedy Center with Atlanta Ballet before making the switch to theater. Lucia is thrilled to be a part of this cast of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Zoé Lyles (COBWEB, Featured Dancer, Featured Singer) Zoé is a seventh grader and is performing in her first Upper School production. She has been in theater for three years and is ecstatic to be part of the A Midsummer Night’s Dream cast. She used to dance for three years, and she plays piano outside of Key. She sings and loves ringing bells at her church! She is so happy to be in an amazing cast with supportive people.

Aurora Mapp (STARVELING, FAIRY, Featured Dancer, Assistant Choreographer) Aurora Mapp is a ninth grader and in her fifth Key School production. She has been involved in theater for eight years and is very excited to be in her first Shakespeare production! She has a background in singing and dancing and is looking forward to being a part of the cast of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Julien Sabean (BARNABY FINCH) Julien is an eighth grader and this is his fourth Key School production. He has done acting camps at Theater in the Park, which he has enjoyed. He is very excited to act in his first Shakespeare play, and he would like to thank his family for driving him to all these places to make this possible.

Who’s Who in the Cast Caleb Smith (OBERON, THESEUS, Assistant Director) Caleb Smith is a senior who fell in love with acting during his first show last year. His favorite shows are A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Book of Mormon. Caleb is thrilled to be acting in his second performance ever as “Oberon” and “Theseus.”

Additionally, he is very grateful to be the assistant director of this wonderful show! Caleb would like to thank his family, friends, teammates, and the Key School community for their encouragement in following his recently found thespian passion!

Connor Squires (NICK BOTTOM)

Connor is a senior who holds a strong passion for the theater.

This warmth toward acting and the stage stemmed from when he was only seven years old. He was inspired when he saw his brother perform in a Middle School production of Charlotte’s Web. Having performed in a nine other Key School productions since then, from his debut as a fifth grader in Alice in Wonderland (2019) as “The Knave of Hearts,” to his most recent performance as “Leaf Coneybear” in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (2025), he is excited to start his senior year off with a bang as “Nick Bottom” in A Midsummer Night’s Dream! He would like to thank his family and the Key Theater Department for continually encouraging him to be himself and to keep doing what he loves.

Grace Stevens (TITANIA)

Grace Stevens is a ninth grader who is new to Key School this year! Grace has an extreme passion for the performing arts, and this production will be Grace’s sixteenth play/musical. Some of Grace’s favorite shows include Sister Act (2024), 13 (2025), and Matilda (2023). Grace has been in musicals at Annapolis Musical Theater Company, Theater in the Park, and prior schools she has attended, and currently performs with Young Artists of America (YAA). YAA is a musical theater training company for high school students, and Grace is entering her second season and sixth show with them. Grace has enjoyed this play and wishes her castmates broken legs!

Christiana Williams (EGEA, MOTE, Featured Dancer) Christiana is a freshman at Key, and she is ecstatic to take part in her first play! She is a dedicated singer with twelve years of experience and was an outstanding member of the PGCPS Middle School Honors Chorus for three consecutive years.

Christiana is honored to be a part of A Midsummer Night’s Dream cast and looks forward to being in future productions!

Setting and Setting and Summary Summary

Our play takes place in New Athens, and alternate 1980s’ inspired land with terrible laws. The action takes place outside and around the palace of Theseus and in an enchanted wood.

On the brink of the duke and duchess's wedding night, four young lovers escape from strict Athenian law into an enchanted forest where anything can happen. Hermia loves Lysander, but her mother wants her to marry Demetrius, who is loved by Helena.

Here, the lovers find themselves enmeshed in a feud between Oberon and Titania, the king and queen of the fairies. Oberon, aided by his mischievous sprite Puck, decides to use a magic love potion to seek revenge on his queen and to "fix" the lovers' problems. But Puck's mistakes result in hilarious rivalry and mayhem, as both men suddenly fall for Helena.

Meanwhile, a group of wanna-be actors (the "Mechanicals") are trying to cobble together a play to perform at the duke's wedding. They rehearse in the same forest, where Puck famously transforms their lead actor, Bottom, giving him the head of a donkey. This, combined with the love potion, leads to the fairy queen falling desperately in love with the confused, donkeyheaded Bottom. By morning, Puck must undo the chaos before the couples (and the actors) return to the human world.

There will be one 15-minute intermission.

Upcoming Productions Upcoming Productions

Key Theater Presents...

March 19 - 21 2026 A Middle School Production

May 20 & 21 2026

Production Team Production Team

Director Assistant Director Set Design & Lead Carpenter Assistant Set Design & Carpenter Choreographer Assistant Choreographers Production Assistant & Back Stage Manager Production Assistant Stage Manager & Prop Master Assistant Stage Manager Costumes & Lights Set Painting Technical Director Technical Assistant & Sound Musical Direction, Sound Design & Piano Spotlight Stage Crew Poster & Program Design Production Photography Photography & Publicity

Jeanne Dillon-Williams Caleb Smith ’26 Aimee Dillon-Williams Gabrielle Bly Imani Gikuuri ’30 Cadence Felder ’29, Lucia Lochner ’29, Aurora Mapp ’29 Lila Newcomb ’28 Gideon Santana ’28 Seneca Braun ’28 Archer Calise ’30 Aurelia Mapp ’26 Aoife Lennon ’26 Les Lentz Alex Gooz ’29, Kamran Sahandy ’29 Jane Edwards ’26 Hugo Raftovitch ’26 Kate Hay ’27, Lottie Morgan ’26 Margie Ross David Trozzo Kate Austin, Mary MacLeod Jey Molina-Mabe

Special Thanks Special T hanks to... to...

Everyone who worked on this production deserves an extra round of applause. From the parents/guardians and student volunteers who helped build, paint and decorate the set, donated food, donated costumes, and even coached some vocals, to the actors who put in hours of hard work at school and at home preparing for their roles, there are so many people to thank that I cannot list them all! We a have special production here; it is a testament to the power of the arts to bring us together. It is an honor to be a part of this community. Thanks also to Atticus Brody and Children's Theatre of Annapolis for lending us columns and artistic support and Beth Terranova at Colonial Players for donating costumes and always being there in a pinch. A special shout out to our seniors who have taken on various leadership roles like assistant directing, musical directing and mentoring like pros! We are inspired and amazed by each one of you!

As the moonlight fades and fairies rest, we thank you for sharing this midsummer night’s dream.