Students bang on a table shouting “Hold thy peace!” in sing-song voices of perfect unison as the lights dim. Meanwhile, the director and some cast members intensely discuss the specifics of hat-wearing. Music is growing in the background, rising and falling as swords emerge from their sheaths for feigned battles between mistaken enemies. This is a typical rehearsal night for the Advanced Studies Program's Shakespeare for Performance class that is responsible for learning and performing two Shakespeare plays in a five-week span.
The students have taken on this ambitious challenge with intense drive and lots of rehearsal time. In addition to regular class hours, the students rehearse together every night starting after dinner and continuing through study hours. They also spend much of their free time reading lines with their classmates and closely examining their character’s perspective to assess often the tiniest details, such as how their hat should be worn in each scene.
“We feed off of each other and also give to each other,” said Shakespeare student Sam Kilbride.
Students spoke of a loyalty to their cast-members, wanting to make sure everyone does well. “No one can be independent of everyone else,” said Ms. Allegrette.
The class has achieved a curious balance between an atmosphere of intense focus and one of constant jokes and laughter.
“I laugh way too much in here,” Ms. Kilbride said of the rehearsal space.
Student Martha Beard said of their jokes, “They’re generally hilarious and no one else ever gets them.”
It’s clear that the students love what they’re doing. “[It’s a] different kind of work,” said Ms. Beard.
The class’s first play, The Twelfth Night, debuted last weekend. The performance was overwhelmingly well-received.
“It was the best play I’ve ever seen by anyone my age,” said Studio Arts student Sarah Davidson.
The students are now working on their second play, All's Well That Ends Well, which will run the last weekend of the ASP.
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