The Christian theater group, Players of the Stage, will present "A Midsummer Night's Dream" May 1-3.

This five-act comedy written by William Shakespeare is set in Athens, where four young lovers and six amateur actors are manipulated by fairies in the forest.

The play also features the marriage celebration of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Amazon Queen Hippolyta.

Hudson Wiren plays Lysander in both Cast 1 and 2. Mara Weigner portrays Hermia in Cast 2.

"My character is semi-rich in Athens and in love with Hermia," Wiren said. "Her mother wants her to marry Demetrius, so we run away to get married and everything gets mixed up by this love potion."

Wiren said the funniest part of playing his character is doing crazy things and fighting Demetrius.

"I like making the audience laugh," he said.

Wiren said he enjoys telling a story that will make the audience laugh.

Weigner said Hermia is also an Athenian noble.

"She is generally a kind person who looks for the best in people," Weigner said. "At the same time, she fights for what is important to her.

"She is a very interesting character to play because she has more depth than meets the eye."

Weigner loves how everyone with Players of the Stage is encouraging with each other.

Tim Diem portrays Demetrius. Natalie Sampsell plays Helena. Both are in Cast 2.

Diem said his character wants to marry Hermia but she does not love him.

"She loves Lysander but the law of Athens says the woman must marry the person the parents want," he said.

"I enjoy acting as a strong man in the play," Diem said.

Sampsell said Helena is in love with Demetrius but she is really upset because he loves her best friend Hermia.

"Helena is willing to do pretty much anything to get that changed," she said. "She is really determined, which I like."

Her character has some really exciting scenes and she is a complex character.

"At first, Helena seems like this obsessed girl but you kind of see there is more to it than that," Sampsell said.

Sampsell said she loves being involved with Players of the Stage.

"It is fun doing a Shakespeare play because I have never been in one before," she said.

"A Midsummer Night's Dream" is directed by Sharon Gerdes.

Gerdes said she picked this play because she has been wanting to give the students the opportunity to perform Shakespeare for a while.

"Midsummer is one of the easier plays for children to put on," Gerdes said. "Plus, it has the advantage of being hilarious.

"Midsummer is a classic example of a comedy of errors rife with love potions, transformations, and foiled plans.

"One of the themes that struck me while preparing for rehearsals was how dependent the play's humor was on the selfishness of its characters."

Gerdes explained the play is about Lysander and Hermia, who run away to get married, and Demetrius and Helena, a previously engaged couple who broke up once Demetrius decided he would rather marry Hermia.

"The four of them end up getting lost in the woods of Athens where they tangle with fairies," she said. "What follows is a very funny mix up that has you asking, which guy will get which girl.

"Midsummer may not be a morality tale, but it does give an exaggerated picture of what happens when we become self-absorbed: we might just end up with a donkey's head."

She said the cast picked the Truth for Women Center, Bethlehem as their cause for fundraising.

"Truth for Women recently purchased a home to use for women rescued out of sex trafficking," Gerdes said. "It's something we really believe strongly in, and we want to help them get that home established."

The Truth for Women Center opened its doors in September 2010.

"A Midsummer Night's Dream" will be performed 7 p.m. May 1-3 and 2 p.m. May 3 at 330 Schantz Road, Lower Macungie Township.

An offering will be taken to support the Truth for Women Center but reservations are required.

To reserve tickets, email potstickets@gmail.com or call 610-310-7604.