S2 Ep1742: ARTS ALIVE! St. Pete Catalyst Bill DeYoung: Jonathan O'Brien, Fairyland: A Midwinter Night’s Dream

Today’s guest on Arts Alive! is St. Petersburg actor Jonathan O’Brien, a cast member from the American Stage production of Fairyland: A Midwinter Night’s Dream, performed through March 8 on the walking trails at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve. These “promenade” shows represent American Stage executive director Helen R. Murray’s belief in taking theater off the stage and out into the community.Written by Anthony Gervais, Fairyland is a loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, in which two sets of lovers encounter an acting troupe, and a band of mischievous fairies, in the woods. The audience is there, every step of the mobile journey.O’Brien, who plays the actor Nick Bottom (and several others) is unique among the performers, in that he has been in every outdoor American Stage show – the series is called “Tales By Twilight” – since the great experiment began three years ago. He is, therefore, uniquely qualified to talk, ponder and opine about the program, and about this new show.