Director Michelle Denise Norton said it didn't take much to create the set of "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

The play, written by William Shakespeare at the end of the 1500s, takes place in a forest in Athens, Greece.

A cast of 29 actors from DreamWrights will perform the show in York County parks and at Brown's Orchards for Theatre Under the Trees. The show kicks off 7 p.m. Friday at Gifford Pinchot State Park in Warrington Township and runs until July 29 at other locations.

Norton said a painted bench with vines paired with nature provides enough of a visual for the classic production.

"Shakespeare describes so much in the language," she said. "The audience gets transported away."

The script features three plots interconnected by a royal wedding. The characters include Athenians who are involved in a love triangle, a group of bumbling players, and fairies.

"It lets you escape into the forest," Norton said. "You can have a night of misrule, and then things will sort themselves out."

Norton said there's a lot of physical comedy in the show.

"I like the mischief and the magic, too," she said, adding that her favorite character is Puck, the court jester.

She has directed "Midsummer" twice before in the series. She said she repeats it because it's a good introduction for young performers. The youngest actors earned roles as fairies.

Norton started the series 15 years ago and took one summer off. About 70 to 100 people attend each show. She said she has gotten more ambitious since its start, and she loses more sleep now about the weather than she did in past years.

"I ask a lot more of the cast," she said.

Norton said the shows are free because the parks have always supported the series.

"It's something we do for the community," she said.


If You Go

WHAT: Theatre Under the Trees, "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday at Gifford Pinchot State Park in Warrington Township; 5 p.m. Saturday at Brown's Orchards & Farm Market in Springfield Township; 7 p.m. Sunday at Cousler Park in Manchester Township; more performances through July 29

COST: Free

DETAILS: Bring blankets or chairs. Visit www.dreamwrights.org or call 717-848-8623