A new — or re-newed — group is making its maiden voyage into the world of community theater this weekend with the Osceola Community Theatre production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

Does the word “Titanic”  ring a bell?

Unlike the “unsinkable” liner, there  are so many danger signals here that one can only hope there are enough lifeboats to go around.

First:  Don’t ever attempt Shakespeare without actors — and a director — who have some understanding of the play — what it is and where it  is going — and at least a minimum  command of the language.  Just rattling off a string of words without any idea of what is behind them or what they mean, in the context of the period, results in what my grandmother used to call gobbledegook.

Scot Shepley as Bottom and Abby Jeffirs as Puck in "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

Second: Make sure at least the  primary players have the ability to make themselves heard  —and understood —beyond the end of the playing area. The audience usually deserves the chance to know what’s going on, although here it doesn’t seem to matter. Not helping was a motor, which sounded like one for a heating system or a large refrigerator, which cut in and out frequently  and completely  drowned out most of the voices.

Third: Take aim at a style for the production and make sure it works — consistently. Allowing the two ingénues to scream at each other while their  respective swains are  battling it out literally and loudly right being them is a shot at farce that results in the need for earplugs. In com

There are several cast members who definitely have potential — the men playing Bottom (Scot Shepley) and Demetrius (Steven Cole) and the females portraying Puck (Abby Jeffirs), Titania (Kristen Baker) and Helena (Kelsey Suwarsky — who needs to turn both volume and delivery speed down several notches) .  They seem to be the victims of skewed direction — or lack thereof. — and deserve the opportunity to try again,.

The costumes were  adequate (loved the fairies wings!) except for Oberon who looked more like a pilgrim wandering in the desert than a magical  king of the fairies.

The lighting, obviously due to the extreme limitations of the performance space which is a very small altar space, was dependent on one large follow spot which illuminated the players in one central area.

Believe it or not, this has been very difficult to write. I am always in favor or new theaters and new talent and would much prefer to see them start well, specifically with something they can handle. I give them credit for the effort, but just because it’s Shakespeare, doesn’t mean anyone can do it.

 Hepefully, the next offering from the OCT will be something easier to stage in their limited facility and one which actors and audience will have less difficulty delivering.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” plays at 7:30 p.m. today and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the Harry Housour Performing Arts Center, 3134 Apple Road, Osceola. check www.osceolatheatre.com