Greendale theatre members are currently rehearsing for the upcoming show The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Abridged, Revised, Again! The show follows three narrators trying to teach the audience about Shakespeare through funny skits, lots of audience participation, and improv.
The cast has been working tirelessly at this show since it was first cast in August.
Senior Nathan Prince plays Hamlet, Sampson, and Julius Caesar, and thinks one of the reasons the show is going so well is its casting. “ I think we communicate with each other very well, which makes rehearsals a lot easier,” Prince said.
Many of the actors are excited that this is an improv-focused show. Junior Camden Schilling, who plays Romeo, Laertes, and Marc Antony, said “I’m most excited about all the improvised lines in the play. It will be fun to do a show where we can just make stuff up on the fly.”
The show does present a number of challenges, like the improvisation. “Any time you do an improvisational play it means more moving parts and less certainty, some people like it and some people don’t,” Director Jeff Schaetzke said. “We also have to rewrite part of the script for our version, which is fun but also challenging.”
The crew is also buzzing with excitement for this show. They plan to build a replica of Shakespeare’s actual theatre called “The Globe,”
senior Audrey Gentry shares the plans for the set design. “We’re working on a lot of painting to make the set look as cool and realistic as possible,” Gentry said.
She also worries that some people will need help understanding what the set is supposed to be. “I kind of worry that people won’t realize that we’re showing a replica of Shakespeare’s actual theatre,” Gentry said.
Opening night is scheduled for Nov. 7 and runs through Nov. 9.
