
Shakespeare is Alive and Well at Sturgis!
Congratulations to the cast, crew, musicians and directors of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The play received rave reviews and experienced 3 sold out houses.
Anna Botsford, Theatre – East
Directing A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been a career highlight. Working with Diana Young – a dream come true. The rehearsal process was fun and edgy with surprises, twists and turns. It was refreshing to be able to delve into Shakespeare again – a focus in my graduate school work. My thesis was on physicality in King Lear, so being able to work the physicality in this piece was like going home. I cannot wait to direct another Shakespeare play – Cape Cod and Sturgis communities – watch out for the Botsford-Young dream team!
Diana Young, Theatre – East
Midsummer was such a wonderful experience for me. It was my first show directing at Sturgis, and I couldn’t have been happier to have Anna as a co-director. Our personalities mix very well together and we both felt similarly about the play and I think it really made for a cohesive vision for the show. And the students were rock stars – right away in September some of them were close to fully memorized, and many were already gaining a deep understanding of Shakespeare’s language. I was really struck by this cast’s support of each other. Whether someone was having a bad day, making a mistake, or the one time we had a huge can of paint spill all over a ton of important costumes/set pieces, they were always able to come together and fix a problem, lend a helping hand, and make the whole show come together. Today we hear a lot of negative things about “those annoying/selfish/immature/etc” teenagers, that it’s really so wonderful to feel so positively and warmly towards my students.
An Interview with the Directors
Teachers Anna Botsford and Diana Young chat with Town of Barnstable Arts & Culture Coordinator Melissa Chartrand about the theater club and upcoming production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. (Published Nov 13, 2014)
Reflections from the Cast and Crew
Stephanie Dorfman, Class of 2015 – West
Let it be known that this is what Nameless shall be contributing to this wonderful article you speak of, considering he has nothing of the verbal sort to contribute.
Ella Hunt, Class of 2015 – East
I was so glad that I got to do this as my last show with STAGE. We really worked well as a cast and I had so much fun doing the show. We really made the magic of the play come to life with how excited we were about performing and working together.
Mackenzie Langan, Class of 2015 – East
Midsummer was an experience like no other, I learned a lot about myself and met some of my best friends, it truly changed my life for the better.
Working with such a wonderful cast and crew was an amazing experience. As my last STAGE production, I was honored to work with such a talented group and help to put on such an amazing show!!!
I gotta say, I absolutely loved Francis Flute played by Tyler Baylis. I was hysterically laughing and cooing at him the whole time. His flirty facial movements and his hands on the hip, he had some serious attitude. It was beautiful, he had a new funny facial expression every time. If it was a sad moment he’d be sad times a thousand. He played two characters too, and he and Dan played so well together. I think we all need to take a class from him on facial expressions – he did an amazing job. Everybody did an amazing job. You really couldn’t have asked for a better cast; everybody contributed so much, it was like a dream.
Dan Souza, Class of 2015, East
After being in six shows for STAGE, I would like to say that Midsummer was easily the strongest out of all of them. Last year, I think that Fiddler was about showing the ability of the program, and how STAGE had the strength to put on a huge production. But this year, I think that Midsummer was about taking a huge production, and knocking it out of the park. As soon as I saw the cast list posted on the wall last spring, I knew that this show was going to be nothing short of excellent, and we certainly did not disappoint.
Something I noticed in the last two weeks of rehearsals was that everyone in the cast was thrilled to perform. Often times, everyone gets panicked and feels like the show will not be ready in time. What made these last rehearsals particularly enjoyable was that everyone had a great attitude. We got better and better with each rehearsal, and everyone’s positive energy only made each rehearsal stronger than the last.
Reflections from the Audience
Shawna Baacke – Tremendous amount of dedication and work by the actors!!!!!! Learning the lines to Shakespeare play is the equivalency of learning a foreign language!! Kudos to the outstanding cast and directors!
Laura Germani Caton – The show rocked!
Ann J. Forget – It was an amazing show with talented actors, musicians and directors and don’t forget all the behind the scenes work that was excellently executed! I was blown away!
Jen H-W Outstanding! Excellent job, everyone!
Courtenay Harrington-Bailey Bravo to cast and crew! Outstanding performances by all. We couldn’t stop smiling and laughing!
Lisa Hassler – Truly wonderful performance! Kudos to the actors, musicians and tech crew! Thank you Ms. Botsford and Ms. Young
Hannah McLaughlin So amazing ! Congrats to all!
Jeanne Prendergast The show was an achievement! Tremendous performances, direction and FUN! Saw 3 performances, the consistancy was admirable! Cannot say enough about this production!
James Rohlf Truly fabulous and talented shows and a great time was had by all. Bravo!
Jean Theirrien The show was terrific!!!!!!!!!!
Diana Puccio Young Wow! Thanks everyone for the kind words! So grateful!
Essays and Articles
Dan Souza, Class of 2015, East College Essay
I have always had difficulties looking people in the eyes. There is something unsettling about how easily people can tell from your eyes whether you’re vulnerable, or sad, or whether you’d actually rather not be talking to them. My teachers, friends, and speech therapists have all encouraged me to simply make eye contact when I address them. And still, nine times out of ten, I can’t do it.
Yet, here we are. In the mirror I look myself dead in the eye and prepare to deliver the lines of one of Shakespeare’s most iconic characters. I am taken over by a hot rush of emotion coursing through my bones, but this is not a feeling of nervousness. It’s a feeling of excitement over the approaching opportunity to show people who I am. I puff out my chest, take a deep, mighty breathe, and I start the humorous but passionate monologue of Nick Bottom from A Midsummer Night’s Dream: “When my cue comes, call me and I will answer. My next is…. most fair Pyramus!”
This has become a daily routine for me: performing for nobody but myself. Lately, it has been happening in the middle of the night, when I find myself going into the bathroom to brush my teeth, but then an hour later when I find myself still standing there, I am trying to say my lines just quietly enough so as to not wake every member of my household. Nick Bottom keeps me up at night as I mouth his words over and over to myself, trying to find just the right physicality in the mirror.
I value my time with Nick Bottom and admire him, because Bottom has shown me exactly the type of man I strive to be. Bottom is an enthusiastic man who loves the appreciation of others, and is never afraid of being watched
In every moment, every second of his life, Nick Bottom wants people to understand him, his passions, and his talents. Ironically, Bottom feels most comfortable, best understood, when he is being watched onstage, commanding the undivided attention of his audience. Just like me, Bottom doesn’t communicate with maintained eye contact. Bottom communicates through his art, and through performance for others. Simply put, Bottom shows people who he is by pretending to be somebody he isn’t.
Most people can be themselves when they aren’t being watched. When the average person is with people that they love and understand, they feel ready to be themselves. Nick Bottom and I, we are different stories. One of the only places I feel comfortable, where I feel like I can be myself, is when I am on stage, being watched by hundreds of strangers. Because strangers are impressionable. So long as I do an excellent job, the audience is going to buy anything I act for them. It’s who I am, though. What I am is a boy who likes to pretend.
The boy who doesn’t dare to look another man in the eye is the same boy who feels at ease under the scrutiny of hundreds of people, waiting for me to put on a show.
This is where I am most comfortable, where I feel like I can be myself most easily, in front of a number of people who have no preconceived notions about me, and who are ready to believe anything I give them. I am thankful for Nick Bottom, who showed me that for a person insistent on retaining who I grew up as and who I hope to always be, acting and pretending is one of the best things I could do with my life. I work on nothing harder than I work on acting. And when I need the motivation I simply repeat to myself Nick Bottom’s classic line: “Take pains; be perfect. Adieu.”
Sturgis STAGE to Perform A Midsummer Night’s Dream This Weekend
Originally published in Sturgis Stormwatch 11/20/2014. Reprinted here with author’s permission.



Sturgis East & West STAGE to Perform A Midsummer Night’s Dream this Fall
Originally published in Sturgis Stormwatch 5/7/2014. Reprinted here with author’s permission.
By Peter Keefe, staff reporter


Editor’s Note