HUDSON – The Hudson Armory Project held performances of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in an effort to raise money and share art.
From Aug. 2 to 4, local actors brought William Shakespeare’s play to life.
The project began after producer and actor Anna Lee Percuoco moved to Hudson in 2020 and noticed that there weren’t opportunities for community theater in the area. As a theater teacher in Framingham, she took it upon herself to implement it, and she reached out to the Hudson Armory Project and found a director.
“I think theater is something that brings the community together. It can be for entertainment. It’s a mirror that we hold up to society to show people who they are and how they can be better,” Percuoco said.
Forty people showed up at auditions and the cast was lowered down to 13. The cast met three times a week for three to four hours to rehearse.
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“It’s something that we can celebrate,” Percuoco said. “All of these people came from all of these different areas, all of these careers, all of these life paths and decided to come together in their free time and do something for their community. It’s a gift to Hudson.”
Director Nick Gould’s job was to cut down the original play, develop the different aspects of the performance and fine tune it into an entire production. However, he also worked to include the choices and ideas that the actors brought in.
“As I like to say, I tell them where to stand and they do the job,” Gould said.
Gould spoke to his desire for the event to continue.
“This is an amazing experience. It was a great time for everybody who was here,” Gould said. “I do hope that the Hudson Armory Project gets everything they need out of it, but also that they feel it’s something good to bring back next year, and this can become a tradition.”
For more information on the Hudson Armory Project, visit https://www.hudsonarmoryproject.org/.
