The Little Theatre is dimly lit. It is only four o’clock, but inside the theater time is dictated by the stage. Right now, the stage says it is nighttime, and we are at the opening of a Hollywood movie premier. Women in beautiful nightgowns and men in suits walk through the aisles to my right. One man even shakes my hand.

“Ok, stop, that’s a wrap!” the director shouts. Suddenly I am snapped back to reality. I am not at a Hollywood movie premier, but rather a rehearsal for the fall play, “Shakespeare in Hollywood.”

The play, written by Tony Award winning playwright Ken Ludwig, is set in 1930s Hollywood during the filming of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The play is also the first play with new Theater Director Ej Taylor, who has replaced Jim Shelby because he is currently on sabbatical.

“It’s a light silly comedy,” Taylor said. “The thing that’s neat about it is that in 1934, Max Reindhart was actually directing “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

In the play, Oberon, king of the fairies, and his trusty sidekick Puck are transported into Hollywood through an unexpected twist of events and end up being cast as themselves.

The cross between 1930s Hollywood glamour and classic Shakespearean work should be an original and enjoyable for the fans, and has been a fascinating experience for the actors as well.

Senior Noel Carey, who plays Oberon in the play, enjoys this sudden twist. “It’s a combination of two great worlds, Shakespeare and modern comedy,” Carey said. “It’s a very well-thought-out play and what happens in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ happens to these characters. The playwright also uses a lot of Shakespeare’s original quotes and it mixes nicely.”

Another highlight of the play is the score of different characters, from the blonde bombshell to the famous actor Dick Powell, played by junior Gavin Morgan.

“He’s the handsome, terribly famous yet terribly nice young star,” Morgan said. “He’s described as a sweetheart.”

Another character is Max Reindhart, played by senior Michael Shomron, the director of the film in the play. “My character came from Austria to direct a Shakespearean play,” Shomron, said. “My character manages to convince Jack Warner to produce the movie by offering the lead role to his girlfriend, who is after him only because of his money.”

“This play has a ridiculous tone, but definitely not in the bad way,” Morgan said. “There’s a lot of sudden bursts of laughter. It’s just good old funny without pretensions or fart jokes.”

So, will our anachronistic heroes stay in the 1930s or will they return to their timelines? Find out during one of the showings this week and next.