A Midsummer Night’s Dream
June 29th - August 15th, 2026
Pack your picnic blankets and prepare to sail away as a Company of Fools brings you to the shores of the Greek islands! This year the Fools are setting Shakespeare’s most famous comedy against a backdrop inspired by seaside revelry, moonlit dances, and the toe tapping energy of your favourite 70’s disco (you may feel an inexplicable urge to clap along, and we encourage you to follow that feeling!).
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a tale of love, magic, and mischief. The story follows four young lovers who flee into the woods, where they encounter a feuding fairy king and queen, a playful fairy named Puck, and a group of well-meaning amateur actors from the village. With a splash of love potion and a lot of confusion, hearts are tangled, identities are mixed up, and nothing goes quite according to plan. Dream is a celebration that reminds us that love can be unpredictable, absurd, and beautifully transformative.
Imagine the musical stylings of ABBA and David Bowie, the passion of Love Island, and the cobblestone streets of coastal Greece all coming together to bring you one fantastical evening in your local park! From the costumes, to the sets, to a retro bike or two, this production is sure to provide audiences with 90 minutes of laughs, excitement, and maybe even a group dance number... Audiences can expect to leave with their cheeks sore from smiling and humming a tune all the way home.
CAST & CREATIVE TEAM
Ananya Antony | Cast
Ananya Antony(she/her) is an Indian Canadian performer who holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Ottawa and recently completed an MA in Social Justice Studies at Lakehead University. She is the 2025 recipient of the Prix Rideau Emerging Artist Award. Selected credits include #11 in The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe, The Bookseller in The Possibilities by Howard Barker, and Julia in 1984 by George Orwell. She is also a dancer with training in Bharatnatyam, Ballet, Contemporary, Modern, and Bollywood dance. Ananya first appeared on the Fools’ stage in their 2024 Summer Torchlight Tour of Macbeth, and has since toured high schools with the company in The Understudies in 2025 and 2026. She is thrilled to be back and hopes you enjoy the show! Much love and thanks to her family for their constant support and for always encouraging her creative tomfoolery.
Bénédicte Bélizaire | Cast
Bénédicte Bélizaire is a multilingual actress and storyteller born in Haïti and raised in Ottawa. Recent on-screen credits : Doute raisonnable (Radio-Canada) L'Académie 2&3 (Super Écran), The Bold Type(Freeform), Amélie et Compagnie(TFO),30 Vies (Radio-Canada). Recent Theatre credits: Seeker (Centaur) Scorpio moon (Imago Theatre) How Black Mothers Say I Love You (GCTC). She thanks her family for their ongoing support.
Daniella Bell | Cast
Daniella Bell (she/her) is an actor based in Ottawa, who is originally from Foresters Falls, Ontario. She is a graduate of the University of Ottawa, and her love of Shakespearean theatre has led her to study internationally, having also trained at LAMDA in the United Kingdom. She is the recipient of the Zonta Club of Ottawa Bursary for Women in Theatre (2023), and her previous theatre credits include Songs for a New World, August: Osage County (Elevator Theatre Company), and The Understudies (A Company of Fools). Daniella is thrilled to be working with A Company of Fools this summer and is delighted to be acting alongside such an impressive group of artists. She would like to thank her family, friends, and everyone in the Ottawa theatre community for their support and kindness.
Stéphanie Charbonneau | Cast
Stéphanie was born and raised in Sudbury. She is a graduate of the francophone theatre program at Laurentian University and has completed a Clown Through Mask workshop with One North Clown and Creation. In 2023, she participated in the inaugural Northern Creation Unit (Pat the Dog), where she worked on scripting an original (and delightfully zany) puppet-play. Previous theatre credits include Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Cherry/Nibs in Peter Pan; the Nurse/Tybalt in Romeo & Juliet (YES Theatre); Erika Roth in Martyr; La plus vieille aveugle in Les Aveugles (Théâtre aux Quatre Vents); and Sœur Sainte-Thérèse in Thérèse et Pierrette à l’École des Saints-Anges (Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario). She is thrilled to be joining the Company of Fools for the summer!
Max Borowski | Cast
“Tant qu’il y a de la vie, il y a de la soif… Et réciproquement!” - Aimé Césaire, Une Tempête
Max Borowski is a text-based stage actor exploding classics. Acting: Queen Maeve (Tarragon Theatre); Outside (Dora award nomination, Roseneath Theatre); Dion (Coal Mine Theatre); Into the Woods, Cabaret (Ovation Productions); 33 1/3 (workshop, Theatre Aquarius); An Incomplete List…: (NYC Maker’s Ensemble/TO Fringe); Jasper in Deadland, Cry-Baby (Ovation! Nomination, Awkward Stage); The Who's Tommy (Renegade Arts Co.); 2018 National Champion (Canadian Improv Games). Directing: Asst. Director 9 to 5 (Capitol Theatre). Love you!
Kyle Cameron | Cast
Kyle (He/Him) is a multi-disciplinary theatre artist who spends most of his time acting a fool, so he’s thrilled (and thankful!), at last, to be paid for it. Hailing from the East Coast (which is probably evident in his accent), he came to Ottawa for Theatre graduate studies. Following the pandemic, he’s worked pretty exclusively with Ottawa-based company Dead Unicorn Ink, appearing in the company’s recent triptych of Bard-inspired shows, Foul Play (Mac), The Vexed and The Vigorous (Jules), and ECPD: Blood, Rhetoric, and Crime (Danny/ Guildenstern). You may have also seen him (in drag) in either of his self-produced shows, Little Orphan Annie and Y2GAYY, or in Theatre Decentre’s Honey Dew Me (Tom). When not ON stage, you can generally find him behind the box office counter at GCTC, where he manages the Box Office/Front of House.
Kate Smith | Director
Kate Smith (she/her) is an award-winning theatre creator, director and performer. She is Artistic Director of a Company of Fools. Kate holds a Master’s of Fine Arts in Directing from the University of Ottawa, and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Theatre from Dalhousie University’s Acting Program. Kate has performed onstage with the Fools as Lady Capulet/Tybalt/Paris in Romeo + Juliet and Olivia/Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night. Directing credits include: Beowulf in Afghanistan by Laurie Fyffe (Great Canadian Theatre Company), Macbeth by William Shakespeare and The Understudies by Kate Smith (a Company of Fools), Machines and Moss by Sanita Fejzić (National Arts Centre, NAC Podcasts), Deluge by Kate Smith and Scottie Irving (National Arts Centre, Grand Acts of Theatre), and Me, Vivien Leigh and the Roller Rink by Lucy van Oldenbarneveld (undercurrents festival).
Chelsey Prince | Assistant Director
Chelsey Prince (she/her) is an Ottawa-based director, performer, and playwright. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young People from the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and a BA (Honours) in Theatre from the University of Guelph. Chelsey is delighted to be joining the Fools for the first time this season. Recent credits include Kimberly Akimbo (Director), Hay Fever (Director), and Player's Beware: This is Not a Game (Playwright).
Shauna Akkermans | Stage Manager
Shauna is a director, stage manager, clown and performer. Shauna studied theatre at Bishop's University and Clown with One North Clown and Creation. Shauna is also the founder of Morph Arts, a new physical and clown theatre company making new collective creation work in Ottawa. When not in the theatre, she can be found slaying dragons in dungeons or feeding her cats.
Sadie Pegan | Apprentice Stage Manager
Sadie Pegan is a recent graduate of the University of Ottawa with an Honours BA with a double major in Visual Arts and Theatre. Sadie has been working in technical theatre for 8 years, and has a passion for stage management. Sadie most recently stage-managed on The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, directed by Kate Smith, and If We Were Birds, directed by Cameron Sedgwick. Sadie has grown up in Ottawa watching the Fools' shows and is so excited to be joining them, especially as they are performing her favourite Shakespeare play!
Vanessa Imeson | Costume Designer
Vanessa Imeson is an award-winning Theatre Artist. She holds a combined BA H in Dramatic Art and English from UofW, MFA in Theatre Design from UBC and diploma for Makeup Design for Film and Television from VFS. She designs costumes, make-up, wigs and puppets for a variety of collegiate programs and professional theatre companies across Canada and the US while simultaneously acting as Head of Wardrobe for the GCTC.
Stephanie Brett | Prop & Set Designer
Stephanie Brett is a respected artist in Ottawa’s theatre and film community, specializing in props and scenic painting. As Head of Props and Head Scenic Painter at The Great Canadian Theatre Company, she has contributed to the visual storytelling of numerous productions, bringing depth, detail, and craftsmanship to the stage. Stephanie is pleased to be collaborating with this talented team and looks forward to bringing this production to life. She would also like to thank her husband, Sean, and son, Lucas, for their continued love and support throughout her career.
David DaCosta | Musical Director
David is an Ottawa-based composer and songwriter, and is thrilled to be back with the Fools this summer! Combining music with summer outdoor theatre are truly two of his favourite things. Check out daviddacosta.ca to follow upcoming musical adventures, album releases, and other goings-on. Dream on.
Thank You To Our Funders
