Valley Shakespeare Festival to present 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' in Shelton

4 performances planned in July

SHELTON - Valley Shakespeare Festival will present four free performances of William Shakespeare’s comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at 8 p.m. July 9-12 at the Riverwalk-Veterans Park.  

VSF’s return to the park marks its third season of performances at the city’s outdoor venue and this summer they have added the Sunday show to bring the number of performances to four.

In an ironic twist of fate, this summer’s cast includes one member who has long-time ties to both Shelton and VSF’s Executive and Artistic Director Tom Simonetti.  

Gary Harger, cast as Peter Quince, is well-known to members of Shelton’s St. Lawrence Church as the parish’s Cantor and Music Director.  

What they may not know is that Harger was also one of Simonetti’s first directors and vocal coaches.  

Simonetti knew he was destined for the theater early on and began his formal training at the tender age of seven. In 1997, at the age of 13, he was cast in a local production of “Gypsy” which Harger directed.  

Simonetti recalled, ”We were all so excited to work with him because we knew he had been in the original Broadway cast of ‘Shenandoah’ and also played Enjolras in the first national tour of ‘Les Miserables.’”  

Harger also was a member of the prestigious San Francisco and Dallas Operas, and performed extensively in Europe.

Harger and Simonetti

Simonetti was so impressed by Harger that he sought him out to be his vocal coach and credits him with having given him the training and technique he still uses today.

In addition to being the owner/founder and executive /artistic director of Valley Shakespeare Festival, Simonetti is himself a professional performer.  

“Gary was the first person to instill in me that theater can be a profession,” Simonetti said. “And it was through his example that I learned just how much hard work, dedication and determination is involved in becoming a professional performer.”  

When asked how he feels to have the director/performer roles reversed, Simonetti replied, “At first it felt a little bit strange, but now it feels more like a collaboration of two artists working together.”

Asked the same question, Harger replied, “That’s kind of how I feel about it as well.  I’ve moved into a different age bracket and it was inevitable that I would eventually work for people younger than me.  I’m comfortable with it and excited about it.”

Simonetti views his role as director as an opportunity to bring his vision of Shakespeare’s comedy to the stage and his cast is his means to not only achieve, but enhance, that vision. He feels each cast member brings with them their own insights into their characters and is thrilled to have Harger’s experience and expertise on this summer’s production.

Harger has spent the last decade concentrating the majority of his efforts on his music and profession as a vocal instructor.  
He is just now getting back to his roots in theater, most recently directing one and performing in another local production.  His role in Midsummer is his first foray back onto the stage in a dramatic capacity.  He is a bit trepidatious, but also excited.

“It’s a departure for me," Harger said. "It’s been a long time since I’ve done Shakespeare.” 

As for his expectations for this summer with Valley Shakespeare Festival he said, “I expect to learn a lot!  I am an open book and I hope to learn and grow as a performer, which is what it’s really all about.”

Call it the “circle of life” or “what goes around comes around”, but this “Midsummer Night’s Dream” may just have more twists and turns behind the scenes than on the stage!


This is a press release from Valley Shakespeare Festival.