An Invitation to Surrender
- John-Michael Scurio
- Jul 4
- 4 min read
A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Eureka Springs, Arkansas are both invitations to surrender. To fall face-first into the joy of it all. To recognize that love, like gravity in these hills, doesn’t always work in straight lines.
Both are magical because they dare to dream out loud.
Both are ridiculous because they refuse to apologize for it.
On July 18 & 19, and 25 & 26, 2025, the Eureka Springs Theater Company (ESTC) will deliver an abridged version of a Midsummer Night's Dream with the gusto and passion that uniquely comes from the spirit of life in Eureka Springs. Yes! Once again, the beautiful people of Eureka have conjured up another thespian performance that will evolve us into the next chapter in the 400+ year legacy of Shakespeare and continued legacy of Eurekans c0-creating life in Eureka which has been happening since the 1800s.
Director, Chaon Cross was born and raised in Eureka Springs, Arkansas and is a seasoned actress with a very robust career in both stage and screen. After graduating from Eureka Springs high school, Chaon earned her BFA in Theater from Stephens College in MO and then toured the US and Canada for two years with Shenandoah Shakespeare Express, now called the American Shakespeare Center. She spent time at Oxford University and has an illustrious career having performed on the many professional equity stages in Chicago, Illinois. In 2023, Chaon returned home, here, to her beloved Eureka Springs and now serves as a Director of the Eureka Springs Theater Company. Welcome home, Chaon!
So, what happens when Shakespeare's enchanted forest lands in the Ozarks, you might ask?
Well, my short answer might be, "I can only imagine" but after meeting with Chaon over a lovely, lively visit (and coffee at Brews) my wild imagination might see it all through a so very uniquely Eurekan lens ... for we all know that in Eureka, anything is possible.
Hippolyta is someone you’ll spot on a porch, drinking an herbal tea blend that she foraged herself. She’ll be in the corner reading, with a rescued parrot named Artemis on her shoulder, who occasionally squawks things like “Smash the patriarchy!”
Theseus (the Duke of Athens) comes off a bit more like a well-meaning man in linen pants who thinks he’s more evolved than he actually is. He wears artisan leather sandals year-round and calls himself “spiritually open” because he dated a woman once who read tarot.
Bottom is absolutely that guy in Basin Spring Park reciting monologues to passing tourists, certain he's destined for Branson or Broadway ... whichever calls first.
Oberon probably owns an Airbnb yurt with a five-star rating and a sign that says, “Fairies Welcome.”
This magical Shakespearean experience is so very apropos for Eureka Springs, Arkansas and who better to put this on in the middle of the Ozarks than Eurekans for Eurekans.
As many of my readers know, Eureka Springs isn’t just a town. It’s a spell with a zip code. I've often described her as crooked streets curling like cursive letters across the hills, lined with storybook houses teetering on limestone ledges. I love to highlight the water here that allegedly healed, ghosts that will follow you, and artists that most certainly are capable to paint your aura while playing the dulcimer.
"Magic isn’t optional in Eureka Springs; it’s part of the municipal infrastructure."
So, with that, is this not a perfect blend of all things Eureka? Just like in Shakespeare’s enchanted forest, the laws of physics seem negotiable. Our flatiron building looks like it grew organically out of the ground as fireflies circle around it. Our haunted hotels host ghost-hunts and weddings, and there's a petting zoo near a Giant Jesus statue that watches ever so protectively over it all.
Now, here we have this sacred union brought to us by someone that knows Shakespeare and knows Eureka Springs. Chaon is sure to be the perfect blend of where Shakespeare meets the Ozarks, and ... spoiler alert, Oberon might just be wearing Birkenstocks. (ok, kidding.)
You see, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Eureka Springs, Arkansas aren't two strangers passing in the fog. No, they’re cosmic twins separated at birth: one born into Elizabethan poetry, the other into Victorian quirk. One wears moss and moonlight; the other, sequins and patchouli. And both whisper to you, softly, seductively: “Suspend your disbelief. Reality is overrated. We invite you to surrender.”
In true Shakespearean fashion, trees whisper. Fairies glitter.
Oberon and Titania (the King and Queen of the Fairies) are basically the Beyoncé and Jay-Z of the enchanted realm.
Oberon, being the emotionally intelligent specimen he is, decides the best way to resolve their custody dispute is to anoint Titania’s eyes with a flower that makes her fall in love with the first thing she sees. And what does she see?
A man named Bottom with the head of a donkey, who, by the way, is one of a group of working-class mechanicals. A well-meaning group of locals who are looking for their 60-secs of fame, of course.
And then there’s Puck. Oh, Puck! Part Hollywood schtick actor, part failed magician, part chaos goblin. He messes everything up, as is tradition, because what fun is love if it’s not fueled by mistaken identity, magic potions, and extremely poor decision-making?
Eventually, as all great comedies must, everything rights itself. A couple pairs off, Bottom wakes up like he just spent the night at Burning Man, and the fairies bless the marriage with bubbles of love. Nobody dies and love is in the air!
To sum it all up: A Midsummer Night’s Dream is what happens when Shakespeare gets bored and decides to write while simultaneously sipping from a bottle of absinthe and eavesdropping on a couples' therapy session.
It’s magical.
It’s ridiculous.
Sprinkle in Eureka-dust and you're bound to enjoy every wild, enchanting minute of it all.
So, please join The Eureka Springs Theatre Company for a magical evening of live theatre with this wonderful outdoor production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the **historic amphitheater (The Arvest Stage) in Harmon Park!
Performed by a vibrant cast of local community members and directed by Chaon Cross. This whimsical adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies comes to life in the golden light of early evening. It most certainly is an invitation to surrender. ❤
**The Arvest stage was built with Shakespeare’s works specifically in mind, and now 15 years later, it’s finally happening! Thank you, Chaon Cross and The Eureka Springs Theater Company.
