C. R. student actors set to perform Romeo and Juliet
By Caroline Rosacker
The Clayton Ridge student actors are set to present William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet at the Garnavillo campus auditorium on Nov. 8, 9, and 10. The curtain will go up at the Friday and Saturday performances at 7 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Freewill donation admissions encourage everyone to have a night out at the theatre to see a timeless classic put on the stage.
In a mixed cast of high school and middle school actors, sixteen-year-old Nathaniel Edwards will portray Romeo, and Juliet will be presented by thirteen-year-old Addison Davis. This is a unique production, as this is considered an "age-equivalent" casting of the characters. The cast is rounded out by incredibly strong young performers playing pivotal “teenage cliques” and deeply affectionate role models for the two young title characters, and the dynamics and skill of the support cast truly drives the story forward.
Theatre coaches Jason Tipsword, Nika Tipsword, Frank Davis and Julie Davis are guiding the young actors through Shakespeare's Middle English dialog with a cutting of the Bard’s full-length text done by Jason Tipsword. "In addition to the opportunity to cast actors in roles that are age-equivalent to the characters, some of the pivotal adult roles in the cast will be played by adults," the coaches pointed out. "This provides the audience a glimpse of exactly how tragic a love story this is when these lovestruck teenagers take drastic measures to defy their parents’ meaningless squabbles and enmity."
"The rehearsals are going very well," Nika added. "Shakespeare is difficult at any age, but this group has really impressed me."
I watched as the students rehearsed the beginning scene where the young men of the two feuding families of Verona: the Capulets and the Montagues were at odds with one another. The Prince of Verona, played by Blair Hyde, intercedes and threatens to execute them if they don't stop.
It took some encouragement from the volunteer drama coaches to encourage the students to use their voices and actions to create the situation's urgency. The coaches also made sure the actors were learning their lines and understood the words they were speaking.
"Yell out like you are mad at your brothers," encouraged a fellow actor.
"Can I be the one to hold someone back?" said another eager to showcase his talent.
Nika noted that "Young actors struggle with the complexity of the dialect, and can get lost in learning words, instead of learning subtext, objective, and action. I feel one of the most rewarding parts of teaching complicated texts is when the students are challenged to think outside their own dialect, and use the blocking, vocal cues, and physical coaching we’ve done with them to inform their role, and when all those parts click – voice, body, comprehension – it’s a performance that a young actor feels empowered by, and any coach would be proud of."
As a Clayton Ridge student, Nika was exposed to Romeo and Juliet via English class, not the stage. When she graduated and pursued a degree in the Performing Arts, she remembered feeling overwhelmed by her lack of knowledge of classic theatre production as something other than old texts to be read.
"For that reason during my tenure I am dedicated to exposing the students to the classics ‘on their feet,’ where they can observe just how timeless these stories are," she commented.
The lead characters are working hard to bring these famous roles to life. "It is often noted in theatre circles that by the time an actor is ready to perform the role of Juliet, she is too old to play the part," shared Nika. "Addison has been able to develop this role and bring it into what it needs to be for our production; and Nathaniel, playing Romeo, is incredibly skilled for his age. Watching Nathaniel build the emotional rollercoaster that Romeo is constantly riding is impressive."
Nika went on to say, "I think it’s important to remember that this is a play about teenagers making decisions which really turn the world on its head, and to understand just how much that is true, you have to be past the age of a teenager to comprehend the ramifications of those kind of decisions. And yet, in the end we still have to put characters on the stage that are, in the world of the play, still teenagers. Nathaniel and Addison are heading up a cast of students that are bringing the impetuousness of youth under the microscope of the audience, and laying bare a moment in time where these young people have to grow up very quickly in light of the decisions they have made."
Mark your calendars to attend the Clayton Ridge High/Middle School production of Romeo and Juliet.