Pittsburgh Public Theater

Just announced by popular demand: added performance of MIDSUMMER on Sunday, February 21 at 7PM!  Get your tickets now for the best seats. 

This comic extravaganza brings together the vibrant fairy kingdom, a quartet of mismatched lovers, the bewitched Bottom, and a band of bumbling rustics in the world's most magical play.  Ted Pappas, the director of Metamorphoses, Amadeus, and Cabaret, and his brilliant team of designers, will transform the O'Reilly Theater into an enchanted forest in a ravishing new production of Shakespeare's exhilarating masterpiece.   

Recommended for audiences ages 10 and older.

Run time: 2 hours and 15 minutes

 Production Sponsor:

26 or younger?:  Tickets are only $15.50.  Call 412.316.1600 for details.

Bring your family to the theater with our FAMILY FUN PACK!  2 adult tickets and 2 student tickets to A Midsummer Night's Dream for only $100, plus 4 complimentary soft drinks and educational material on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.  Additional student tickets can be added for $15.50 each.  Call for details.

Groups of 10+ save big!  Reserve your group tickets now for the best seats available. Call Becky at 412.316.8200, ext. 704 for details.

CLICK HERE to read the A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Price Newsletter

JOHN AHLIN (Nick Bottom) is delighted to return to The Public, having appeared as Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing and Stephano in The Tempest. Broadway credits include Waiting for Godot (with Bill Irwin, Nathan Lane and John Glover), Journey's End (2007 Tony Award Best Revival), The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Voices in the Dark, One Mo' Time, Whoopee! and Macbeth. Off Broadway John portrayed Orson Welles in Austin Pendleton's Orson Shadow and has appeared as Falstaff six times. TV credits include: "Law & Order: SVU" (multiple episodes), "Third Watch," "As the World Turns," and "The Education of Max Bickford." Regional experience includes Hartford TheaterWorks, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Old Globe, Goodman Theatre, CenterStage Baltimore, and Goodspeed Opera House. As a playwright, John had his award-winning play Gray Area receive its Off Broadway premiere last spring. He lives in New York with his wife, actress Jean Tafler, and their wonderful daughter Charlotte.

BIANCA AMATO (Titania/Hippolyta) appeared on Broadway in The Coast of Utopia. Atlantic Theater: Trumpery. BAM: The Importance of Being Earnest. Signature Theater: Mr. Fox: A Rumination. CTC: Arcadia. Guthrie Theater: As You Like It, Pygmalion, Pride and Prejudice, Topgirls. South Africa: Proof, Greek, A Doll's House, Under Milkwood, Kindertransport. Film and Television: "The Good Wife," "Sex and The City," "Isidingo - The Need" (South Africa), "The Adventures of Sinbad," "Gegen Den Wind," A Fatal Game. Awards: Fleur du Cap Award for Greek, Vita Award for Under Milkwood, Audie Award for Listening for Lions. Training: Performer's Diploma in Speech and Drama, University of Cape Town, South Africa.

J.T. ARBOGAST (Demetrius) is thrilled to be returning to Pittsburgh and The Public stage where he was last seen in Metamorphoses. He can also currently be seen in the feature film When In Rome, opening January 29th. In New York, J.T. is a founding member and the Assoc. Director of the National Comedy Theatre where he performs and teaches improv. Other theater credits include: Indoor/Outdoor (Portland Stage), Love Jerry (New York Musical Theatre Festival), The Spitfire Grill (Wayside Theatre), and My Way: A Tribute to Frank Sinatra. Film and Television: "30 Rock," "Puppy Love" (webseries), and The Life Before Her Eyes. He holds a BA from Penn State University and an MFA from the University of Texas at Austin.

TONY BINGHAM (Tom Snout/Cobweb) could not be more thrilled to make his Pittsburgh Public debut. He has worked locally with Caravan Theatre, City Theatre, Thank You Felix, Pittsburgh Playwrights, PICT, Prime Stage, LTD, The Rep, barebones, and Open Stage. Favorite roles include: Martin in The Goat, Tony in Savage in Limbo, Eddie in Fool for Love, Roger in The Missionary Position, Segismundo in Life is a Dream, Proctor in The Crucible, Henry in The Real Thing, Zastrozzi in Zastrozzi, Marat in Marat/Sade, and Dad in The Bingham Family, to name a few. He has appeared on "As The World Turns," in a handful of commercials, and a number of local indies including the feature film Trapped (2009 Winner, New York International Independent Film Festival, Best Crime Feature) starring Tom Atkins and Corbin Bersen. Tony holds a BA from Point Park and an MFA from the University of Iowa.

MEGGIE BOOTH (First Fairy) is excited to be performing her second professional "gig" with the Public Theater, having read the part of Nancy Drew in Stayers and Goers, which was featured in the Public Exposure play reading series. Meggie is a three-time winner of The Public's annual Shakespeare Monologue & Scene Contest. Her previous professional credits include The King and I (as Princess Ying Yaowalak) and Miss Saigon with West Virginia Public Theatre, and The Wizard of Oz (as a Munchkin) with Pittsburgh Musical Theater. Most recently, though not yet a college student, she appeared in The Grapes of Wrath at Carnegie Mellon University. Meggie is a seventh grade theater arts student at Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12, the creative and performing arts magnet school.

ALEX COLEMAN (Peter Quince/Egeus) is very pleased to be returning for his sixth show at Pittsburgh Public Theater, and his fifth with favorite director, Ted Pappas. For The Public Alex has played Carmine Carducci in Harry's Friendly Service, Baron Van Swieten in Amadeus, Egeon in The Comedy of Errors, the First Messenger in Oedipus the King, and Reb Nachman in The Dybbuk. Along with stage performances for PICT, City Theatre, Hartwood Acres, Pitt Rep, and the Three Rivers Shakespeare Festival locally, he has performed with both the New York Shakespeare Festival and the National Shakespeare Company. Film credits include: The Silence of the Lambs, Achilles' Love, Houseguest, Roomates, and the award-winning short feature, John Dunn's Last Run, among others. TV roles include a variety of made-for-television movies and hundreds of commercials. Dr. Coleman recently directed the very successful Count Dracula for the University of Pittsburgh, where he continues in his role of Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Jeremy Czarniak (Snug/Moth) is so pleased to return to the Public after far too long, last being seen in A Funny Thing...Forum and Fifty Million Frenchmen. Some of Jeremy's favorite performance roles include Billy in the Off-Broadway hit Zombies From The Beyond, Ozzie in the International 25^th Anniversary Tour of On The Town, A-rab in West Side Story at the MUNY St. Louis, Bobby in Crazy For You for Pittsburgh Musical Theatre, Fred in CLO's A Musical Christmas Carol, Bernard in the REP's Death of a Salesman, Michael in the REP's world premiere of Eastburn Avenue and his favorite role as Groucho Marx in Groucho - A Life In Revue for which he has twice received mention in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette's Best Actor category. Jeremy has also conceived and choreographed the full length tap concert What Did I Say?What Did You Mean? premiering this Spring at Point Park University where Mr. Czarniak is a faculty member. Jeremy is also currently pursuing his MFA at Goddard College, VT. Thanks to Ted and as always my Court and kids, Brett & Julia.

HARRIS DORAN (Puck/Philostrate) is thrilled to be back at The Public where he has been seen as Mozart in Amadeus and The Emcee in Cabaret. Theater credits include Freddy in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels opposite Joe Piscopo (Gateway Playhouse), Hair (Claude, Broadway, Actors Fund), Love Jerry (New York Musical Theatre Festival, Best Actor Award), Harry Connick Jr.'s The Happy Elf (world premiere), Oliver (Deaf West, Ovation Award nomination), Brighton Beach Memoirs (Pioneer Theatre), Americamisfit (Baltimore's Center Stage), Compleat Works Of Wllm Shkspr (abridged) (Globe Playhouse), The Seagull, Exit the King, and Waiting for Godot. Film and TV credits include "The Black Donnellys," "Malcolm in the Middle," "Any Day Now," Order of the Serpentine, and 2+1. Harris is in development for his new rock/r&b musical, Salvage. He was trained at The Juilliard School. http://www.harrisdoran.com/

JAMES FITZGERALD (Robin Starveling/Peaseblossom) is making his first appearance with the Public Theater. Pittsburgh appearances include five productions for Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre, most recently Jane Eyre. As a Chicago-based actor, James has performed 16 seasons with Chicago Shakespeare Theater, numerous appearances at Marriot's Lincolnshire Theater, as well as Chicago's Second City, ETC., The Royal George, and Apple Tree, among numerous other Chicagoland theaters. Regionally he has performed for six seasons at Cape May Stage, NJ (recently in Moonlight and Magnolias, Woman in Black, and Around the World in 80 Days ), Milwaukee Rep, Nebraska Shakespeare Festival, North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, and as a member of the Off Broadway company of Rose Rage directed by Edward Hall. James is also the recipient of two Joseph Jefferson Awards (Best Supporting Actor), a Jeff Citation (Best Actor), and Chicago's After Dark^TM Award as the author, Best New Work, for ...Two for the Show... He is also co-author of Every Christmas Story Ever Told! which ran in more than 10 cities this season. James has recently completed filming The Mercury Men.

DANIEL KRELL (Francis Flute/Mustardseed) is happy as always to be back at The Public where this production marks his 16th appearance. Some favorite Public credits include A Moon for the Misbegotten, Metamorphoses, Amadeus, Cabaret, Oedipus the King, The Tempest, Broadway: The Play, Much Ado About Nothing, You Can't Take it With You, and Sweeney Todd. Dan has acted in major roles in the area's professional theaters such as City Theatre, Pittsburgh CLO, Quantum, Bricolage, and the Playhouse Repertory Company to name a few, and in regional theaters such as Clarence Brown Theatre and Gateway Playhouse among others. For three years Dan was a member of PlayMakers Repertory Company (NC) where he earned his MFA and is a veteran of many films, commercials, voice-overs, and industrials.

LINDSEY KYLER (Hermia) is pleased to be making her debut performance with Pittsburgh Public Theater! She received her BFA in acting from Carnegie Mellon University and is excited to return to this wonderful city. Other Pittsburgh credits include Alexandrine in the world premiere of Le Grand Meaulnes (Quantum Theatre), Irina in Three Sisters and Ophelia in Hamlet (CMU). Lindsey was last seen in the world premiere of Legacy of Light at Arena Stage (directed by Molly Smith) and will be making her television debut in the season premiere of "Rescue Me" in 2010. Lindsey lives in New York and is a proud member of Actors' Equity Association.

LUCAS NEAR-VERBRUGGHE (Lysander) appeared on Broadway in The Ritz, directed by Joe Mantello. Other New York credits include Oohrah! (Atlantic Theater Company), Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and Macbeth (The Public), BOOM! (Ars Nova), STRETCH (Ohio), and The Most Excellent Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, a three-person adaptation of Romeo and Juliet which was developed and performed in Florence, Italy and in New York at the Classic Stage Company and The Public. Regional credits include The Tempest, The Merchant of Venice, and The Glass Menagerie all at Texas Shakespeare Festival. TV: "Law & Order" and "Guiding Light." He received his MFA from NYU Tisch.

ALEX LINDSAY ROTH (First Fairy) is a seventh grade student at Chartiers Valley Middle School and is honored to perform with Pittsburgh Public Theater. Alex is a budding singer-songwriter. She has appeared with Pittsburgh Musical Theater's Rauh Conservatory in numerous productions, including Les Miserables as Little Cosette, Disney's High School Musical as Sharpay Evans, the Queen of Hearts in Disney's Alice in Wonderland, Tiny Tim in A Musical Christmas Carol, Aurora in Disney's Sleeping Beauty, and Benjamin in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Alex performed with the national tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in Pittsburgh. She recorded a demo for a new Broadway show and in 2008 won first place for her age group in Pittsburgh Public Theater's Shakespeare Monologue & Scene Contest for her portrayal of Phoebe in As You Like It.

DAVID WHALEN (Oberon/Theseus) recently finished Jane Eyre for PICT and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for City Theatre. He played Padraic in The Lieutenant of Inishmore at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (Kevin Kline Award for Best Actor 2008) and was named the 2007 Performer of the Year by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. New York credits include The Roundabout, Primary Stages, and others. Regional credits: South Coast Repertory, Houston's Alley Theatre, Hartford Stage, CenterStage in Baltimore, Huntington Theatre, Laguna Playhouse, McCarter Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Clarence Brown Theatre, Coconut Grove Playhouse, Arden Theatre, and Philadelphia Theatre Company, among others. Some of his film credits include 61*, The Xmas Tree, Black Dahlia, My Bloody Valentine 3D, True Blue, Without Warning, and Indictment: The McMartin Trial. He has guest-starred on many TV shows, including "Three Rivers," and has had recurring roles on "All My Children" and "The Guiding Light." Next up: Hamlet at The Folger in Washington, DC.

BETH WITTIG (Helena) is elated to be returning to the Pittsburgh Public in this wonderful production after playing Josie in last season's A Moon for the Misbegotten. Other credits include Mezzulah, 1946 at Florida Stage and Blackbird at Hartford's TheaterWorks (Connecticut Critics Circle Awards for Outstanding Debut Performance and Best Play 2008). She recently graduated with her MFA in Acting from Rutgers University where she was chosen by the faculty to receive the Kelly Kreiderman Award for Excellence in Acting. Favorite roles include Catherine in Proof, Evelyn in The Shape of Things, and Christine in My Sister in this House.