Quick Bright Things Come to Confusion, or What We Do For Love

With its madcap romances, busted friendships, and chaotic fairy magic, A Midsummer Night’s Dream has surprised and delighted audiences for more than 400 years. In this special event, Frankie J. Alvarez, Grantham Coleman, Micaela Diamond, J. Harrison Ghee, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Matty Maggiacomo, and Christian Slater, will present an excerpt of Shakespeare’s story of the play’s four young lovers in all their lovestruck comic confusion, sparking a conversation about why and how we do so many crazy, inspired, devoted, disloyal things in our friendships and love affairs. The discussion will include Kwame Anthony Appiah, the NYU philosopher who writes the weekly “Ethicist” column in The New York Times Magazine; James Shapiro, Public Theater Shakespeare Scholar in Residence since 2012 and Larry Miller Professor of English at Columbia University; Ayanna Thompson, Regents Professor of English at Arizona State University and The Public’s Shakespeare scholar in residence; and Logan Ury, behavioral scientist, dating coach, and author of How to Not Die Alone.