Theatre group Avenue 10 in Amarillo will stage an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The unique thing is the actors are reportedly going to perform at least parts of the play nude, according to KFDA-TV.
It’s going to be titled “Midsummer Night’s Nude.”
And, yes, this story has a Route 66 connection. It’s going to be performed at the Route 66 Party and Event Rental at 413 Sixth Ave. (aka Route 66) in Amarillo.
Avenue 10’s MySpace site has a quick description of its version of the play:
Avenue 10 takes on William Shakespeare’s beloved comedy classic, presented in true kicka– style! What happens when elves, fairies, and the like intrude on the lives of ordinary, unsuspecting humans? Leave the kiddies at home and find out!
A perusal of Avenue 10’s other productions shows it isn’t afraid of edgy — or ambitious — material. For example, the group is tackling “Angels in America” next year.
A local resident isn’t happy about the upcoming play:
David Grisham of Raven Ministries says, “If you are basically stripping your clothes off on stage and you’re charging money for it, you’re basically operating like one of the strip clubs, like Beavers or something like that. And we think that should be covered under the adult business ordinance.”
The venue itself has seen controversy before. Protests were launched there for parties that allegedly included swinging, or the swapping of sexual partners.
However, Avenue 10’s spokesman was vague on how much nudity there would be during the show.
Sirc Michaels, the theatre group’s communication person says, “Man sort of basically goes back to nature, everything is stripped from him, which is where we get the nude from. And how much nude there is, you’ll have to see the show.” […]
Michaels says, “If it’s going to cause people to think and provoke them, well then, that’s what art should do. This is William Shakespeare and it’s stirring controversy in Amarillo. It’s really kind of cool.”
Moments of getting naked aren’t unheard-of in stage shows — “Equus” is an example.
However, Michaels’ coy response suggests there may be little to no nudity in the play. Maybe the “nude” actors will be wearing flesh-colored body stockings. Maybe the production is going to be emotionally naked, and the vague reports of nudity are a publicity stunt. If nothing particularly strange happens during the production, Grisham and his quick-to-react cohorts are going to look pretty foolish.
If you’re curious about what’s going to happen during “Midsummer Night’s Nude,” the first performance is at 8 p.m. Nov. 13.