BHS students to star in production of As You Like It
If it’s true that all the world’s a stage, a group of students at Bethlehem High School have been getting some serious real-world experience as they prepare for a production of William Shakespeare’s `As You Like It,` to be shown on eight occasions later this month.
This will be the 21st consecutive year that a Shakespeare play has graced the high school auditorium. Director James Yeara`who also directed the previous 20`said that the bard’s plays are not only recognizable to the cast and audience alike, but they offer students something beyond the typical high school theater fare.
`It’s the challenge,` he said. `It’s the greatest theatrical challenge and training you can have.`
To pull off such a hefty task, the troupe has been practicing rigorously since auditions in September`some members even earlier than that`with rehearsals four days a week from 3 to 6 p.m. In the few weeks leading up to the show, rehearsal expands to six days a week and can go late into the evening.
The production has a 32-member cast, including members of the Chorus, along with 20 students who are providing backstage and technical support to the actors. Most don’t have to attend every practice, but Stage Director and senior Cathleen Owens is one student who’s been at Yeara’s side through the whole thing.
`It’s a lot of work, having to fill out college applications and that senior year stuff,` along with the theater work, she said.
For many of the students, acting is a hobby and it will continue to be so in the future. They know that the field of live performance can be competitive and low paying, but in the sphere of a high school production it’s fun and a great social experience.
`It’s nice to do this in a low-pressure environment, where if we screw up we still eat,` said senior Cormac McCarthy, who will play Touchstone, a clown.
`You can have a whole new experience up on the stage,` said senior Meghan Seely, who will play Phebe, a shepherdess.
Others, though, feel that performance is a calling and plan to pursue it as a major in college, including junior Brittany Martel, who will play Rosalind.
`I just love acting and singling and all that jazz,` she said. `Event though I’m just a junior, it’s what I want to do.`
`As You Like It` is one of the more musical plays penned by Shakespeare, and was probably written around the same time as other well-known works like `Henry V,` `Julius Caesar` and `Hamlet.` It also contains the famous monologue, `All the world’s a stage.`
It’s more good-natured than the playwright’s heavier, more dramatic works, taking place chiefly in the forest and comprised mostly of the comedic pursuit of love. It’s also a lesser-known production, though critics tend to agree it’s among Shakespeare’s better works.
`It’s a popular play for professionals, but for odd reasons it’s a difficult play to do with high schoolers,` Yeara said, adding that his players have risen to the challenge. `It’s a good time, it’s a funny play, it’s a challenging play and there are some talented kids on the stage.`
The troupe picked `As You Like It` by vote. Yeara gives them about 10 choices he felt were within their skill level.
`I personally prefer the tragedy plays, but I wouldn’t say this production is better or worse,` said McCarthy.
Yeara added a few additional Elizabethan songs to draw upon the musical talents of the Chorus. BHS players will also employ the use of a Maypole on-stage for the final wedding scene that closes the play. The tall wooden pole still found at the center of many western European villages is used in the celebration of Mayday.
Yeara said he was struck by the presence of a Maypole in many Stratford-area towns when he spent a year of graduate school in England.
The set will be a conglomeration of the work of art students at the school. By using a large plate of glass, landscape portraits painted by BHS students will be displayed during the show using rear projection. The technique was used in last year’s production of `Macbeth` with great success.
`As You Like It` will be performed over two weekends: at 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays (Dec. 11, 12, 18 and 19); at 1 p.m. on Saturdays, Dec. 12 and 19; and at 2 p.m. on Sundays, Dec. 13 and 20. Tickets are $10 for adults, $6 for students, seniors and military. You may make reservations by calling 439-2991 or visiting www.theatrewithoutanet.org.
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