Students may have heard rumors that the production of Romeo and Juliet was canceled. This is false; however, the show has undergone some major changes. Instead of a full play, the production will now be showcased.
“A showcase is us picking our best scenes or most enjoyable scenes that best display our talents. The people who have really worked on their character and scene will get the chance to present it,” Mark Van Savage, theater teacher, said.
Shakespeare is traditionally very difficult to learn, and requires substantially more work than most plays.
“Shakespeare is very hard, and I did my best to let students know that they have to work at it. I think that some students took the approach that it was just like any other play, but it takes a different approach,” Van Savage said.
The sub-text, themes and language are all aspects that are difficult about a Shakespeare play.
“The story of any Shakespeare play is not hard to understand, but the language and the wording is difficult because we don’t talk like that anymore,” Oliver Spencer, Health senior, said.
The play was around three weeks away from being performed when problems began to become apparent.
“We couldn’t wait until the last week to pull it all together, and then a few people had schedule changes. I still wanted to give them an opportunity to perform, so I decided we would showcase it,” Van Savage said.
Oliver Spencer was among one of the students who left the production shortly before being announced as a showcase.
“I was playing Romeo, but I left for baseball and prioritized baseball,” Spencer said.
Being one of the lead roles, this spelled trouble for a full production.
“We had a bunch of different conflicts with other cast members that went on so being able to figure out a solution, being the showcase, was the best outcome,” Spencer said.
Some actors who were looking forward to the show are disappointed by the change.
“I felt kind of sad because I worked very hard on my lines. I feel disappointed because it was going to be my only opportunity to do a show in the U.S.,” Margaux Chermette, Arts & Comm. junior, said.
Being a foreign exchange student from France, and coming from a school with no extracurricular activities, Chermette was excited to perform a full play as one of the leads.
“I play Juliet, we had auditions about a month after school started,” Chermette said.
Chermette is still happy to have the chance to put on a performance.
“It will still be a good experience, but it won’t be the same as a full show,” Chermette said.
The actors in the theater program are now working to put on a good showcase, and understand Shakespeare to the best of their ability. Despite the challenge, Van Savage believes it is important for the actors.
“His work is still prevalent today. He set the framework for just about every play and show ever made,” Van Savage said. “Someone who’s wanting to pursue theater has to know Shakespeare.”
