DIRECTOR'S NOTES:
When I was in college, many of my friends had to take a course in Shakespeare. They loathed it. They thought his work was boring and found the language hard to understand.
I actually enjoy Shakespeare. I think the language, while lengthy, is quite beautiful and the stories (while similar) are entertaining. Think about it: how many movies and tv shows have the same plot devices and character traits? 90%? Well you can thank Shakespeare for that.
When it came time to decide on a Fall Play for Mount Pleasant this year, my mind immediately went to The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged). See, the first two plays I directed at Mount were pretty serious and heavy: Our Town and The Laramie Project. I thought it was time to lighten things up, while still providing a level of education and lesson learning for the students. What better way than to attack Shakespeare.
I found this play a few years ago when I saw a produciton here in Delaware. It was amazing! It helped me find a new appreciation for Shakespeare. See it used humor to break down his work, while educating the audience on what his plays mean. Shakespeare was pretty edgy for his time: murder, death among family, star crossed lovers. He was the original Aaron Sorkin, Martin Scorcese, Stephen Sondheim, and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Before there was "Grease", there was Shakespeare.
This play normally features 3 actors playing multiple parts. However, like all of Shakespeare's works, it leaves itself open to interpertation. So we cast 16 talented young students. Throughout the rehearsal process we gave them room to explore their characters and come up with bits that they felt worked best to fit the scene and serve the story. The best part is that they continue to shape it while on stage today.
I've thoroughly enjoyed working with these students. They've grown to appreciate the Bard, but more importantly learned to appreciate each other and cheer each other on and support the acting choices each of them made during the rehearsal process.
Tonight, please allow yourself to laugh. The show is funny. The show is still a little Shakespearan "Bawdy" and "edgy", but hey, that's Shakespeare!
I'd like to thank the parent volunteers, cast, crew, and MPHS administration for all their support throughout this process. I am thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to work with the talented students of Mount Pleasant High School!
Enjoy the show.
Chris Turner
