Last week, we featured a story about the development of drama and public speaking skills in our Logic students. In reality, these skills begin to sprout in the Grammar stage grades with impromptu dramatic enactments of history lessons in the classroom. Students as young as first graders step up to the challenge, for instance, performing the Nativity play at the community-wide Hometown Christmas festivities each year. It is no surprise, then, that by the time they reach the Rhetoric stage, students are ready for complex and nuanced performances.
“Last year we staged the Merchant of Venice which, although considered a comedy, is a serious play with dramatic depth. This year I wanted to do a true comedy. I performed As You Like It for high school audiences and knew the students and audiences would enjoy it,” said Mr. Joch Luzarraga, who directs the Rhetoric stage annual Shakespeare performance.
The Rhetoric stage production stretches students beyond their drama and public speaking skills. They began rehearsing in January, meeting three-to-four times per week. Students were involved in every aspect of the production. Some created the somber and industrial costumes (Margaret Varadan and Hannah Hopkins) and cold lighting (Joy Mosher) that reflected the dark mood in the beginning of the play. Others set up the natural ambience for the forest scenes (Mabe Guevara), created the artwork (Nina Green and Vika Fulmer) that embodied the thematic split of the play, curated perfect props (Bella Morgan) that brought the play to life, led the stage crew (Izzy Jahnke) to perform smooth set changes, and kept the whole team organized (Lucy Graham). All in all, the production crew helped Mr. Luzarraga echo and reinforce “the harshness of Duke Frederick’s urban realm versus the healing power of nature in the Forest of Arden where the exiled Duke resides and where all the characters find redemption and love.”
The hard work and attention to detail in the play’s production ultimately allowed the lead cast and supporting actors to step into their roles with gusto. “The moments I enjoy the most are when actors are fully engaged and present in a scene, start to make different acting choices, and discover how their fellow actors respond in the moment. That’s very satisfying to watch, and that discovery is what makes live theater so interesting and dynamic. In the final week, I saw growth in the performances of every actor,” said Mr. Luzarraga. As You Like It was performed by Izzy Meyer (Rosalind) and Nico Baalman (Orlando), supported by Celina Perrault (Celia), Paul Jahnke (Oliver), Thomas Mortensen (Silvius), Vivian Luzarraga (Phoebe), Luke Velasco (Duke Frederick), Tim Gawron (Duke Senior/Charles), Johnny Turner (Jacques), Rafaelle Mariano (Adam), and Elizabeth Burke (Corin). Anna Fulmer, Lily Trabbic and Gloria Jasso all played multiple or expanded roles. Bravo!
