Silverdale Baptist Academy Theater Department has managed to re-spin Shakespeare’s classic tale of lovers and actors and fairies into a one-act play for the stage. With a little help from Linday Price’s adaptation of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” audiences will get romance, comedy and fantasy in about an hour, to be performed at The Colonnade in Ringgold, Thursday, April 26, and Friday, April 27, at 6:30 p.m.

Terri Bateman, Silverdale theater head and play director, described the play as “a play within a play, involving a three ring circus of lovers, mechanicals (actors) and fairies.”

“When the lovers and mechanicals enter the forest, the wooded domain of the fairies, anything can happen,” Bateman said. “It’s whimsical pandemonium.”

There are 30 high schoolers in the cast, which Bateman said was a rather large percentage of students for a fine arts department, and it’s growing every year. This is Bateman’s second year at Silverdale, a private Christian school affiliated with Silverdale Baptist Church in Chattanooga. Her goal is two productions per school year, one generally being a musical.

“We’re growing, we’re booming,” Bateman said. “I’m excited about the future. This is the second time I’ve done ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ (in her career, not at Silverdale). It’s an excellent selection for students to deepen their theatrical skills or broaden them. You can't go wrong with a classical playwright like Shakespeare to work with students, and this cast has been great. They’re diligent, responsible and cohesive. I’m very proud of them. They’ve been great to work with. ”

Bateman bragged on one of the students in particular, a junior art student, Ruth Schuiling who designed and created the watercolor for the poster of the production.

“Ruth has done several things for the theater department,” Bateman said. “She has a phenomenal art talent. Her portfolio is amazing.”

Bateman said she hasn’t pinned down the musical yet for next year, but she’s chosen “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” and she has high hopes for it. She also said The Colonnade was a great place to utilize, but their purpose is to “shine” anywhere they perform.

“It's a great functioning venue with an intimate atmosphere,” Bateman said. “We enjoy productions there. We like to entertain audiences but above all, we love to honor our Lord Jesus Christ in anything we pursue."