Strange sights of summer

Since summer’s lease hath all too short a date, why not make the most of it by catching a performance of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” staged in the open air of Adams House courtyard?

The performance by the Industrial Theatre Company will take place July 25 and 26 at 6:30 p.m. The performance is free to those with a Harvard ID.

Based in Taunton, the Industrial Theatre Company has been presenting free, outdoor Shakespeare productions since 1996. This is the first time the company is performing at Harvard.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is one of four performances comprising the Harvard Summer School’s 2001 Visiting Artists Series. According to Summer School Dean of Students Christopher Queen, musical and theatrical performances have been part of the Summer School experience for some time, but this season’s offerings surpass those of former years.

“We decided that since we had such a wonderful lineup this year, that we would go ahead and call it a series,” Queen said.

The series began on June 18 with a performance by the Kunjban Dance Theatre from India at Lowell Hall, followed by a July 13 performance of the Boston Landmarks Orchestra with Charles Ansbacher, conductor, at Sanders Theatre.

The last performance in the series, scheduled for July 27 at 8 p.m. in Lowell Hall, is “Sea Tides and Time,” a concert featuring soprano Maria Ferrente and pianist Alys Terrien-Queen. Ferrente, the winner of the Mario Lanza voice competition and a member of the faculty of the New England Conservatory, will present a program of art songs by Ives, Rachmaninoff, Gershwin, Mompou, and others.

The performance is free and open to the public. Tickets are required and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets must be picked up in person at the Harvard University Box Office, Holyoke Center, Tuesday through Sunday, from noon to 6 p.m., (617) 496-2222.

According to Queen, the Visiting Artists Series is in keeping with the Summer School’s commitment to providing students with a varied experience that takes advantage of Harvard’s cultural resources.

“When students arrive here for the summer, they want to learn all they can about their chosen subjects, but they also want to expose themselves to the full Harvard experience, and that includes not only extraordinary teaching and learning but also the cultural riches of the University,” Queen said.