Date: Fri 23-Apr-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

St-Rose-School-Shakespeare

Full Text:

The Bard Beguiles St Rose

(with photos)

BY ANN MARIE COHEN

"All the World's a Stage" including the stage at St Rose School. Students

witnessed scenes from Shakespeare's plays come alive as actors from the Elm

Shakespeare Company performed for grades 5-8 on Friday, April 16.

The founder and artistic director of The Elm Shakespeare Company, James

Andreassi, explained to the young audience that bringing a play to life

involves many people: the words of the playwright, in this case, Shakespeare;

the ideas of the director; and the actors' skill. They all combine to make an

audience believe what is happening on stage -- the drama -- is real.

Examples of modern life, such as the use of Nintendo were cleverly used to

broaden the children's understanding of Shakespeare's works, to show the

beauty and "coolness" of Shakespeare's words, and emphasize the timelessness

and relevance they still hold today, nearly 400 years later.

Scenes were re-enacted from A Midsummer Night's Dream, the history, Henry V,

and The Taming of the Shrew. Students especially appreciated the wit portrayed

in Taming of the Shrew, as the characters, a married couple, engaged in a

verbal sparring, containing many slurs and double entendres.

Several student volunteers were invited to the stage to join the professional

actors to re-enact the witches scene, one of the first scenes from the

tragedy, Macbeth. Mr Andreassi explained that a tragedy often provides the

audience with a catharsis, as the tension is relieved, the emotions are purged

through art.

The Elm Shakespeare Company has performed at theaters across the United States

that include The Long Wharf Theater, The American Repertory Theater, the

Pittsburgh Playhouse, The Rep of St Louis, The Three River Shakespeare

Festival, Shakespeare & Co., The Merrimack Repertory Theater, and the Pioneer

Theater Co.