About 200 people from Chula Vista including students and their families enjoyed Shakespeare’s most popular comedy, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” in an intimate, up-close experience at Hilltop Middle School’s gymnasium.

The Old Globe presented the play as part of the Globe for All initiative, in a partnership with South Bay Community Services, a community-based organization that provides a holistic and comprehensive array of programs and services for children, youth, and families to help them overcome challenges and succeed.

“Our families really don’t go to theatre, a lot of them don’t even leave their community because of transportation,” said Patricia Chavez, director of Communications and External Affairs at South Bay Community Services. “And before the play, parents get really involved with the organization and decorations to make the play really special for their families.”

Globe for All presents free professional theatre to diverse, multigenerational audiences in locations around San Diego County, with a cast of nine professional actors and nine production staff members. For many students and their parents, this was their first live theatre experience.

“To see the theatre for the first time is something you can’t never feel again, it’s something really priceless,” said South Bay resident Yudmila Guizar.

Before the play began, the guests enjoyed a red carpet entrance, and a pre-theatre dinner complete with interactive games designed to enhance the understanding and enjoyment of Shakespeare’s work. Professional Globe Teaching artists introduced participants to Shakespeare, his work, and the common themes and ideas of the play. These artists also began the performance with an introductory pre-show warm up.

“We are delighted to present Shakespeare’s masterpiece A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 17 community partner venues this year. Our community connections have deepened considerably since we launched Globe for All five years ago, and we value these crucial and rewarding partnerships,” said Barry Edelstein of the Old Globe Theater. “Globe for All is inspired by two simple but deep beliefs, that theatre is an art form for everyone, and that as the flagship arts institution of San Diego (and that) The Old Globe should be accessible to the entire community. Taking our show on the road each year to new corners of our region advances our values of equity, inclusion, access, and, of course, excellence. This year’s tour embodies these values vividly, and our close friend Patricia McGregor’s beautiful production of Midsummer will bring joy, fun, and the special magic of Shakespeare to our neighbors around San Diego County.”

The free Globe for All Tour began Tuesday, October 30 and included different venues throughout a wide variety of economically, geographically, and culturally diverse communities.

The tour will culminate in two low-cost public performances on Sunday, Nov. 18 on the Globe’s Lowell Davies Festival Theatre stage.