From left, Brittany Batell (Puck), Craig Van Kempen (Oberon), Sean Barone (Puck) and Jaclyn Dudek (Puck) in a past Arb production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

photo by Gail L. McCormick

In the case of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” all the Arb’s a stage, and an excellent one at that.

The annual Shakespeare in the Arb production, put on by a cast made up primarily of University of Michigan students and directed by U-M professor Kate Mendeloff, opened Thursday and runs Thursdays through Sundays all month long in Nichols Arboretum.

This year’s show — a comedy about a troupe of actors, four young lovers and several magical beings out for a little harmless merriment — marks the 10th anniversary of Shakespeare in the Arb (the inaugural production was also “A Midsummer Night’s Dream).” Many of the locations in the original production are being revisited, and the tattered, earth-toned fairy costumes are the same as those used in the 2001 staging.

Opening night was terrific, from the weather — clear and comfortable — to the quality of the performance. The cast seemed at ease with the challenges outdoor theater can present, and some seemed to Shakespeare born, none more so than Sam Dodge as the scene-stealing Bottom. With his cocky attitude, wide range of facial expressions and large repertoire of vocal inflections, Dodge seemed to dominate every scene he was in.

Sean Fitzgerald (Demetrius), Kaela Parnicky (Hermia), Elise Randall (Helena), Chris Anderson (Lysander) and Martin Walsh (Peter Quince) were all uniformly outstanding in their key roles, as was Graham Atkin (Oberon). Atkin was also Oberon in the 2001 production.

By setting the work outdoors, the traditional line between actors and audience is blurred. By being so close to the actors, and with a 360-degree stage, the audience becomes part of the action.

Three Steiner School students (Victoria Garber, Samantha Hall, Emily Slomovits) provided musical accompaniment on flute, violin and oboe as the audience and cast members moved from one enchanted spot to the next. The melodies helped immeasurably in attaining a Shakespearean frame of mind. Likely due to its outdoor location, this “Midsummer” is a fairly physical production, with actors taking full advantage of the huge stage the Arb provides. The movements of the three Pucks (Greg Kovas, Mandy Bannatz, Allison Clinton), and of the fairies, were full of ballet and modern dance moves, and the other cast members seemed to delight in charging here and there to deliver their lines, even if that might be from the branches of a convenient tree.

It was also physical for the crowd. As is the custom in these productions, the action moves from one setting to another in the Arb, and the audience follows, toting blankets and lawn chairs. The show begins near the peony garden (there were still some nice, albeit soggy, blooms Thursday night) and ventures deeper into the Arb as it progresses — a good thing since the street and nearby construction traffic noise nearly drowned out the first several minutes. A note to the cast: louder here, please.

There was one particularly lovely clearing early on where the mosquitoes seemed to be enjoying the audience almost as much as the audience was enjoying the show. No external sounds intruded and the show really began to work its magic. Be advised, there is a steep hill that needs to be navigated, but golf carts are on hand for those who need assistance.

Fast becoming an Ann Arbor tradition, this Shakespeare in the Arb anniversary production is a milestone worth observing firsthand. Just don’t forget the bug spray.

Roger LeLievre is a free-lance writer who covers music and theater for AnnArbor.com.