Huerta Middle School Performs Midsummer Night's Dream in Burbank

Dolores Huerta Middle School’s Drama Enrichment Program brings Shakespeare to The Colony Theatre this Tuesday, April 7, with a production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” that trades Elizabethan England for 1950s rock and roll.

The show starts at 6 p.m. and runs approximately one hour.

The program itself is newly created, and this performance marks another early milestone for the young drama department. The same group of students recently wrapped a production of “Rock of Ages,” so this cast of 29 kids arrives at The Colony with a full musical already under their belts.

The adaptation comes from director Lisa Dyson, who reworked Shakespeare’s comedy to fit a mid-century setting complete with rock and roll, fairies, kings, queens, and at least one Elvis-inspired character. The production is co-directed by Elizabeth Tignini, Missy Landry, and Catia Ojeda alongside Dyson. The four-person leadership team has shaped the program from its earliest days.

Dyson’s adaptation keeps the core ingredients intact. Audiences can expect unrequited love, teenage rebellion, magic, and the comedic chaos that makes the original one of Shakespeare’s most performed plays. Wrapping all of that in a 1950s aesthetic gives the material a new entry point, particularly for middle schoolers who are meeting these characters for the first time.

The Colony Theatre, located in the heart of Burbank’s Media District, seats under 300 people, which means this is an intimate performance. There are no bad seats in that room, and for a student production, that kind of closeness between audience and performers tends to bring out the best on both sides of the stage. Burbank families, Shakespeare fans, and anyone who spent part of their childhood in a school production will find something to appreciate here.

Tickets are available now at itsmyseat.com. A $2.50 per-ticket service fee applies to online purchases. Buying at the door avoids the fee entirely, though availability is not guaranteed for walk-up buyers.

Student theater often gets overlooked in a city that sits in the shadow of major studio lots and professional productions. But the Drama Enrichment Program at Huerta Middle School is doing something the studios cannot replicate: giving Burbank kids real stage time in front of real audiences at a real venue. That matters. The experience of memorizing lines, hitting cues, and performing for a crowd is not something that translates from a classroom exercise. It happens on a stage.

The Colony has hosted professional productions, touring companies, and community theater for years. Putting a middle school cast on that stage sends a message to these students about the seriousness with which the program takes their work.

Burbank Unified has long supported arts programming across its schools, but the creation of a dedicated Drama Enrichment Program at Huerta represents a concrete commitment to giving students a structured path into performing arts. Two productions in one school year, with a 29-person cast working under four experienced directors, is a strong start.

Tuesday’s show gives the community a chance to show up for these kids. The Colony Theatre is at 555 N. Third Street in Burbank. Doors open before the 6 p.m. curtain. Again, tickets are at itsmyseat.com or available at the door.