Due to an unexpected position change in the role of drama director in January, a full-length play will not appear onstage to end the year. Instead, two one-act shows and a scene from Hamlet are set to run May 23. The performances will begin at 7 p.m. in Ground Zero, and admission costs $2.
The original plan for the drama class this year was to perform the play Hercules this May, under the direction of former instructor Tom McEntee. However, due to the change of teachers, instructor, Brianne Vogt took over the class, and did not have enough time to carry on with Tartuffe, After Ever Happily and Hercules.
Since the first two were already in motion, the process continued, but Hercules was put on hold. Instead, the Shakespeare theme will appear before its audience.
Shakespeare provides a common thread in all three works: The Dark Lady of the Sonnets, When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet, and Act IV, Scene I (“The Gravedigger’s Scene”) from Hamlet.
Vogt selected these three Shakespearian-style plays for her class to perform.
“I chose these in part for the humor,” Vogt said. “It will be a less serious theme for spring. It’s sunny outside; we don’t want a serious, dramatic show onstage, so this will be more lighthearted.”
Although two of the shows themselves are not written by Shakespeare, authors borrow his themes and characters. The Dark Lady of the Sonnets, by George Bernard Shaw, and When Shakesperare’s Ladies Meet, by Charles George, follow his characters, historical figures and the Bard himself.
“I certainly hope the audience responds well,” Vogt said. “Parents will understand the humor due to their level of education. The students might get something out of it, too. The freshmen in Greg Stobbe’s English class are reading Romeo and Juliet, and the seniors in my English class just read Hamlet. Since these shows don’t require an extensive knowledge of Shakespeare, it can be funny and enjoyable.”
Freshman Kendall Wheeler plays the role of Juliet in When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet. Wheeler said she appreciates the story line of her show.
“The show is fun, with all of the ladies meeting and talking about their perspective on romance,” Wheeler said. “Playing Juliet is pretty fun, but she can be kind of annoying and stubborn. But over all, I really like putting on the play.”
Sophomore Ricky Lopez, who will portray Hamlet, enjoyed the production of Tartuffe, but still feels that these shows are good for his education.
“I liked to perform Tartuffe a lot,” Lopez said. “It was longer and more of a challenge, but performing Shakespeare is good for me. I’ve never done this before, so it helps me understand his writing.”
Wheeler said her experience in Stobbe’s English class helped her to understand her role of Juliet.
“Some of the Shakespearian content makes it difficult to remember when to say certain lines,” Wheeler said. “But otherwise it’s pretty easy. Stobbe’s class helps me, since we analyze Shakespeare’s works. Because we are reading Romeo and Juliet, I can get the backstory, which helps me understand how she acts and how she talks to the other ladies.”
This evening of shows will be the last for senior Mary Sargent. Her experience in drama has given her benefits for life, and to perform a work by Bernard Shaw is an honor for her, she said.
“I’m thrilled to do a Shakespearian-era play, especially by such an enjoyable author as Bernard Shaw,” Sargent said. “Theater has always been my application to better understand people by playing them. Drama has not only committed me to an outstanding group of actors and friends, but also exposed me to taking direction and working hard.”
For more information on drama, visit the Feb. 17 column, Drama marks freshman-year highlight, or the Feb. 4 article, Drama to unveil ‘Tartuffe’ production.
