Pahrump Theatre Company debuts ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’

There is a legend in theater lore that a bad final rehearsal is a sign that opening night will be a smashing success. Some call it superstition. The actors, having been ‘hoisted on their own petards,’ redouble their efforts for the first show in front of a live audience. Basically, the show-must-go-on survival instinct kicks in.

So, when props, lines and actors went missing for the dress rehearsal of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, the cast were being smiled upon from above. Puck, played by Elijah Pena/Mills, wasn’t the only muse in attendance. An actor was even sacked for insubordination, refusing to drop a Trump impression when playing “the wall” character. Some would see it as a sacrifice to the gods of drama.

The actors of the Pahrump Theatre Company played to sold-out crowds for four nights in the newly acquired Calvada Theater, May 31 through June 5. The theater at 1266 E. Calvada Blvd., Suite #1 is an intimate black box space where the front row is mere inches from the actors. Professional stage lights have been installed, and the room has been creatively utilized to provide for a backstage area where actors can pace as butterflies flutter around their tummies.

Director Oliver Jones’ production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is a play about love, human desire and fantasy, with a Wild West motif. The setting is a bar in Pahrump, which replaces the enchanted forest. The inciting device is a magical peyote plant, instead of a love potion derived from the juices of a wild pansy. The play follows the intertwining stories of young lovers and a group of amateur actors. Mishaps, misunderstandings and mischief create romantic chaos in the bar. Thankfully, everything is resolved in the end, and love prevails.

This was the first performance in the new theater. An hour before the metaphorical curtain came up Oliver texted the group chat, “I just want you all to know how proud I am of all of you. I am so happy you are in the show and on this adventure with me.”

In a unique twist, the production had southern slang sprinkled in with Shakespearian middle English.

Eric Dent, who played Bottom, explained, “It’s a challenge doing Shakespeare in a southern accent. Your right brain definitely has to talk to your left brain.”

The performances have affected the Pahrump Theatre Company’s players in different ways.

Nate Hollis Jr. has taken some life lessons from the character. His favorite line for Demetrius is, “I love thee not, therefore pursue me not.” He surmised, “The character evolved both emotionally and character-wise for me.”

Not everyone was so enthusiastic about the production, as some cast members dropped out just days before opening night, compounding logistical problems. However, it all came together on opening night. As the wise thespian Dave McGrath once said, “It’s called a play because it’s supposed to be fun.” And all’s well that ends well.

When it comes to future theatrical performances, residents are excited. As Robert Owens, owner of Bob’s Smoke Shop, said, “Pahrump needs a theater. We need more things to do.”

The play was such a hit that there are plans to revive it in July for encore shows.

Jacob Whitecloud, who played Rosie, summed it up by saying, “It was stressful, but everyone held together. It brought us closer together and was an experience worth the time, and it was nice to make people laugh.”

Eric Coleman is a freelance reporter living in Pahrump whose political cartoons appear weekly in the Pahrump and Tonopah newspapers. Contact him at ericjamescoleman@gmail.com.