*UPDATED* A Word from Daniel Mesta and the Company of A Midsummer Night’s Dream: An Audio Drama

October 5, 2020

Circumstances this year have led to something of a perfect storm for theatre companies everywhere, including DAM Good Productions. Because of this, we have decided to cancel our currently postponed productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream Parts 2 and 3.
The decision comes after a long battle with the events of this year including the Coronavirus, venue closures, and economic uncertainty. However, and perhaps most importantly, this year has provided an opportunity (paid for in blood) to examine issues of race and representation in all areas, including live and recorded performance. Critical cast changes became necessary in these productions to ensure that all performers’ values aligned with the values of the company and the stories that we were trying to tell. This also led to a number of conversations in which the issues of representation and diversity were discussed in detail leading us to re-evaluate this season. In those evaluations, we found that although we loved the stories that we were telling, they were created for a world that we were no longer living in.
When we emerge from this crisis (and we WILL emerge from it), we hope to bring you programming that is even more diverse, more inclusive, and more timely. Many exciting projects are currently in the works that aim to deliver on that promise.
In the meantime, we hope that you will take a moment to evaluate your own intellectual and entertainment choices, to see if their values line up with that of the world that people everywhere are striving to create.
As always, thank you for your support.

~ Daniel Mesta and the Company of A Midsummer Night’s Dream: An Audio Drama

Part 1 will remain available for listening HERE.

June 12, 2020

DAM Good Productions has always been a place to tell diverse and inclusive stories through live and recorded performance. Our casts and production teams represent a number of perspectives and background as we strive to be sensitive to the needs of our community in the stories we tell and the discussions we foster. Members of minority communities are facing even higher levels of opposition at this time. While we have a great love for this story that we are trying to tell, we feel it is appropriate to allow time and space for others to grieve and process, free of the levity and merriment of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” This production will return at an undetermined time in the near future. During this time, we as a company are taking a hard look internally to root out our own prejudices and discuss the potential for the telling of even more diverse stories in the future. Thank you for your understanding. Black Lives Matter.

~ Daniel Mesta and the Company of A Midsummer Night’s Dream: An Audio Drama