A Classroom for a Stage and
Students to Perform the Swelling
Scene!
By Shirley Anghel
Shakespeare in Performance is
a student acting troupe that presents
the plays according to originalist
practices of rhetoric and theater space.
The troupe is part of a theater course
taught by Renaissance scholar, Dr.
Travis Curtright, at Ave Maria
University. The capstone project of the
class is a Shakespeare production, which
includes educational outreach to high
school audiences. Dr. Curtright, director
of the plays, professionally trained at the
American Shakespeare Center in
Staunton, Virginia. He regularly teaches
a course on Shakespeare for the
literature department as well.
Lead actor Zachary Harned
previously performed in the Naples
Players’ Sherlock Holmes production
and has been invited to act with
Shakespeare in Paradise, Inc.; he has
also acted in several short independent
films. When asked about his experience
with this troupe, Harned said, “Curtright
has the understanding of an artist and of
a professor. Having worked in a variety
of settings, I really appreciate and love
having this combination in a director.”
The productions feature actors’
training in voice, rhetoric, and prosody,
which includes analyzing Shakespeare’s
figures of speech, diction, and metrical
patterns. They also consider carefully the
addressee for each character's lines. Just
as Shakespeare did, the actors may "take
lines to the house" or speak to audience
members instead of those on stage. See
how a saucy Beatrice speaks to an
audience member for an example:
To learn more about how the troupe
trains, visit "Our Approach."
When asked about her experience
with Shakespeare in Performance,
actress Rebekah Sauls said, “It’s brought
me out of myself so much … I feel free to
grow as an actress.” Sauls added that she
“loves how you are constantly challenged
because every night is a different
performance [which demands] a
constant reinvention of the character
and of yourself as an actress.”
Though the troupe remains true to
Shakespeare's language, it often "updates"
the music, selecting more modern songs to
accompany the action. Troupe members
select and perform songs both before the
show and at intermission, which they think
captures a theme of the play. In tribute to
a rough courtship between Benedick and
Beatrice, for example, the actors worked
out a version of "Shady Grove":
Finally, as part of the productions,
actors participate in an educational
outreach program by doing “talk backs”
with student audiences. They will not
only perform a play but also discuss it.
As reviewers show, however, Shakespeare
in Performance delights all audiences!
Visit "More Artistic Talent" and
"My Heels Up" and "More Reviews."
