In a Department of Theatre and Dance production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Master of Fine Arts candidate John Zibell is directing a six-person cast to explore the dark dreamscape at the heart of the play.

The production is this year’s Director’s Showcase.

Zibell’s sinister but funny adaptation interposes video projection into the live performance, creating a multilayered interrogation of the subconscious and performative elements of self, sex and love, society and betrayal.

“This dreamy-fairy-fiend romp will entice, contort and restructure all you hold dear in Shakespeare, bringing unexpected and exciting clarity to this beloved classic,” according to the Department of Theatre and Dance Web site.

Performances are scheduled at 8 p.m. Feb. 24-27 and 2 p.m. Feb. 28 in the Wyatt Pavilion Theatre. A talk-back session, hosted by Professor Peter Lichtenfels, an expert in Shakespeare, is scheduled after the opening performance.

Tickets are available through the Mondavi Center box office, (530) 754-2787 or (866) 754-2787, or mondaviarts.org.