Panida setting for documentary, play
Sandpoint hosts a remarkable cultural pairing this weekend: Shakespeare and Southeast Asia.
On Friday night at 8, the film “A Dream in Hanoi” will be screened at the Panida Theater. On Saturday at 8 p.m., the Artists Repertory Theatre of Portland presents its live production of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
These two events are linked. In fact, seeing the movie should make seeing the play an even richer experience, said Marilyn Sabella, the artistic director of the Pend Oreille Arts Council.
“A Dream in Hanoi” is a documentary about the Artists Repertory Theatre’s groundbreaking – and, at times, heartbreaking – attempt to stage the first performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in Hanoi.
The Saturday stage performance is that same play performed in collaboration with several members of the Central Dramatic Company of Vietnam, the Vietnamese troupe involved in the Hanoi production. They are now in the United States to complete the cultural exchange.
Both events are part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ “Shakespeare in American Communities” program, a nationwide initiative to bring Shakespeare to 100 towns across the U.S.
“This is a huge, big deal for us,” said Sabella. “We are the only community in Idaho to get this.”
The film follows the theater company as it travels to Vietnam and tries to mount the production with a half-American, half-Vietnamese cast. The results are often disastrous: actors and directors clash, censorship problems arise and the venue is switched at the last minute. Yet the movie has an optimistic conclusion.
Saturday’s production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” should amount to proof that both theater troupes ultimately came together to produce a moving piece of theater. You’ll see the familiar Shakespearean story enhanced with Vietnamese dance and theater forms.
Several special events are also planned in conjunction with the film and play. The Pend Oreille Arts Council is sponsoring “Coffee and Conversations,” a discussion between the actors and the community, on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. in the upstairs coffee bar in Coldwater Creek on the Cedar Street Bridge. The public is invited.
Actors from both troupes will also host an acting workshop on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Gardenia Center at Fourth and Church in Sandpoint. All ages and abilities are welcome. There will be a $5 fee.