Winter Play Review After two years of online accommodations and COVID-19 protocols, the theater department made its way back to the stage to perform the winter play, “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged),” in front of a live audience. WORDS by DARE FITZPATRICK PHOTOS by BRAD ELLIOTT
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he Laguna Blanca Reduced Shakespeare Company’s, “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” premiered on Feb. 11. Students in the Play Production class returned to the stage two years after the last in-person, live performance of “Anatomy of Gray” in Dec. 2020. The audience was excited to be in Spaulding Theater to see a live performance. “It was really great to have such an amazing reception for something we worked on for so long,” said junior Luca D’Agruma. Due to COVID-19 protocols, the cast and crew faced adversities in the play’s production. “Our show was the week following coming back from [winter] break, and that was when Omicron happened—that really derailed everything we had going because a lot of our cast was out on Zoom,” Luca said.
“We were all on our heels almost every day that the performance was pushed back. We first heard we were going to be delayed, and then we had to reconsider some obstacles, like last year, doing it with film instead of a live perSenior Foster Smith, freshman Ada Green, and sophomore formance,” senior Dylan Charney introducing their trio scene. Foster Smith said. “It was all just really nerve racking terest in directing for a long time— since we put so much work into it, it’s always been something I’ve been and one of our classes was put into interested in, but we don’t offer any this play, so the thought that it could class or any avenue to pursue that be taken away was very scary.” at this school. So, I talked to CaldIn addition to the adaptations nec- well about it, and she gave me the essary for meeting COVID-19 pro- opportunity to be with her through tocols, this production had other, casting and rehearsing.” new facets. The cast members, Caldwell and Senior Madeleine Nicks served as Madeleine, worked collaboratively an assistant direc- to make the play personal to their tor to play pro- cast. duction instructor “I think something we kept saying and performing through the whole show, and esarts department pecially the closer we got to perchair Dana Cald- forming it, was that it felt like one, well for this play. big inside joke to us,” Madeleine “As assistant di- said. “Anything we were laughing rector, my main at, anything we found funny made roles were basi- its way into the show. It was really cally to just be just a representation of our collecCaldwell’s right tive sense of humor so any modern hand woman,” jokes, any little bits, many of those Madeleine said. came from us, our brains, and it just “I’ve had an in- came about very naturally.”
Senior Madeleine Nicks calls out in her role as Hamlet.
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