Tegan Kelley plays Bawd in an SOU production of Shakespeare's "Pericles," in May. She will play Puck in CTP's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," June 20-July 21.

If you ever wondered where the Hallmark Channel got its flair for magical misunderstandings and romantic mix-ups, just remember that Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” walked so Hallmark could run.

When “Midsummer” opens June 20 on Collaborative Theatre Project’s stage in Medford, two “Kelleys” will be right in the thick of it.

Tegan Kelley, graduating this June from SOU, plays the mischievous Puck. And Kelley Ryan Vincent, an accomplished figure in Bend’s theater community who recently moved to Jacksonville, does double duty as Titania and Hippolyta.

The hilarious play tells the twisted love story of four Athenians who are caught between love and lust. Add fairies and an enchanted forest and chaos ensues. But despite the confusion and comedic mishaps, harmony is restored, leading to multiple joyful marriages.

The play runs through July 21 at CTP’s theater located at 555 Medford Center. Susan Aversa directs. Tickets can be purchased at ctpmedford.org.

SOU June grad

Kelley, 22, lives in Ashland. She graduates from SOU later this month, earning a bachelor of fine arts degree in theater performance, with a minor in Shakespeare studies.

She says she has always loved performing, beginning ballet at a young age. When ankle surgery at age 15 took her out of dance for six months, it opened a new door.

“During the time I was recovering, I auditioned for a school play and discovered how rewarding theater could be,” she said. “The rest is history.”

She was thrilled when she was offered the iconic role of Puck, and began working on it immediately — familiarizing herself with the text and preparing her body to take on a highly physical role. It’s her first professional gig.

“It has been quite a process figuring out Puck’s physicality,” she said. “We wanted Puck to move in a way that was distinctly different from the other fairies, especially to highlight Puck’s mischievous nature.”

She worked with choreographer Daniel Stephens on Puck’s look and movement.

“One of the most satisfying parts of playing Puck is that I get to interact with practically the entire cast throughout the show,” Kelley said.

Part of Puck’s personality resonates with Kelley.

“Puck brings a level of excitement and enthusiasm to everything, always trying to find ways to entertain themselves and others. That’s something I often find myself doing as well,” she said.

Now that she’s dipping her toes into the world of professional theater, she hopes to have future opportunities, especially to perform more of Shakespeare’s work.

“In 2020, I was cast as Emily Webb in a production of ‘Our Town,’ but it was canceled because of the pandemic,” she added. “I would love to have a chance to reprise that role someday.”

Defining two characters

Vincent, 53, sees the characters she will play in “Midsummer” as two strong women with similar goals.

“On an earth-bound level, Hippolyta is the daughter of Ares, the Greek god of war, and Otrera, the queen of the Amazons,” she said.

“On a more magical level, Titania is queen of the fairies and is married to Oberon, king of the fairies.”

Both characters want peace and harmony, although their paths are different.

Vincent has to do character and script work for each role. The challenge is to achieve success in realizing two very different characters.

“For me, though, that’s a big part of the fun,” she said.

Because Shakespeare’s work resides in the public domain, scripts can be edited, abridged and adapted, and often are.

“Our production has kept edits to a respectful minimum,” Vincent said, “while making them in places that yield a maximum return in modernizing messaging and, hopefully, in increased audience enjoyment.”

Prior to her first theater job offer in Bend, playing Mrs. Cheveley in Oscar Wilde’s “An Ideal Husband,” she had just finished a 13-year hiatus from theater while teaching and, as she says, “mommying.”

“So, I was incredibly nervous,” she said.

“The character is a juicy combination of intelligence, seductiveness and desperation, and was a really fun change from the ingenue roles I’d typically played when I was younger.”

Things went well, and she spent 10 years doing theater in the high desert community.

After moving to the Rogue Valley, Vincent played Lotte Schoen in CTP’s production of “Lettice and Lovage” this past March.

Her goal is to continue to do theater in Southern Oregon.

“I want to be challenged in new ways, keep learning and growing,” she said. “I want to do this thing that I love for as long as I can, alongside people who feel the same way.”

“Midsummer’s” preview performance is set for Thursday, June 20, with an opening night gala planned for Friday, June 21, featuring small bites, courtesy of Tap & Vine at 559.

Performances run at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and at 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

For further information about Collaborative Theatre Project, including showtimes and tickets, see ctpmedford.org, or call the box office at 541-779-1055. Group rates are available.