Tag Archives: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Ortiz Earns Obie Award for His “The Woodsman” Puppet Designs

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James Ortiz is a real puppet master…

James Ortiz

The Latino actor, director, writer and puppet designer has received an award at the 61st annual Obie Awards, established by the Village Voice to acknowledge achievement in off-Broadway theater.

The Woodsman

Ortiz picked up the award for his puppet designs for New World Stages’ production of The Woodsman, the one-of-a-kind show Ortiz created that tells the tale of the Tin Man, the woman he loved, and the witch that would stop at nothing to keep them apart.

It’s Strangemen and Co.’s critically acclaimed take on one of America’s original fairy tales, the Wizard of Oz.

The Woodsman

The Village Voice now runs the Obies with the American Theatre Wing, which also co-presents the Tony Awards (with the Broadway League).

The ceremony was held Monday evening at Webster Hall and hosted by Lea DeLaria.

Ortiz serves as the co-artistic director of Strangemen & Co. His design/directorial credits include The Tempest (DC Shakespeare), SeaWife (Naked Angels), Mercury Fur (The New Group), King Lear (Delacorte Theater in Central Park), Ludic Proxy (Soho Rep), King Lear (Theatre for a New Audience), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (New Place Players), Miss Lilly Gets Boned (Studio 42), My Base and Scurvy Heart (Studio 42) and An Intimate Evening with Typhoid Mary (Glass Bandits).

de la Huerta to Star in Modern-Day Film Adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

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Paz de la Huerta is living the Dream…

The 31-year-old half-Spanish American actress will star in a modern-day film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, according to Variety.

Paz de la Huerta

de la Huerta will star alongside Rachel Leigh Cook, Hamish Linklater, Avan Jogia, Fran Kranz, Charity Wakefield, Lily Rabe, Ted Levine and Finn Whitrock in the film, which completed production on Dec. 18.

Producers announced the project Saturday to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.

The new version takes place in present-day Hollywood where fantasy and reality collide. It’s set in a world where glamorous stars, commanding moguls, starving artists and vaulting pretenders all vie to get ahead.

Casey Wilder Mott wrote and directed the feature, marking his directorial debut.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream will feature original music by Mia Doi Todd and Saul Williams, both of whom also appear in the film.

de la Huerta starred in Boardwalk Empire for two seasons. Her other credits include The Cider House Rules, Riding in Cars with Boys and A Walk to Remember.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been adapted into movies numerous times, most recently in the 1999 Fox Searchlight film, which included Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett, Stanley Tucci, Calista Flockhart and Christian Bale.

Fox International Productions Boards Belle’s New Film “Amapola”

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Camilla Belle’s reimagined A Midsummer Night’s Dream is officially a Fox project.

Fox International Productions has joined the team behind the 26-year-old half-Brazilian American actress’ latest film  Amapola.

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The directorial feature debut of Argentinian opera and theater director and Oscar-winning art director Eugenio Zanetti, the film is  described as a romantic reimagining of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream set against the turbulent backdrops of the 1962 Argentinian military coup and the 1982 war for the Falkland Islands.

Belle stars are the title character in the film, which also stars Francois Arnaud, Geraldine Chaplin, Lito Cruz and Leonor Benedetto.

Production on the film, which Zanetti wrote, is underway in El Tigre, Argentina.

Twentieth Century Fox will distribute the film in Latin America.