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ZANESVILLE -Brother against brother. Love at first sight. Monsters, fairies and harpies. A brave new world that has such people in it? No, just another day in high school. Welcome to the magical world of "The Tempest," which runs this weekend at West Muskingum High School |
It's rare for teenagers to tackle one of William Shakespeare's masterpieces. But "The Tempest" is one of his most accessible plays, said Denise Duellman-LaCara, who is directing the show for the school's PowerHouse club.
"The Tempest" tells the story of Prospero, who was robbed of his dukedom and banished to a remote island with his daughter. With the help of a powerful storm, Prospero brings his enemies to the island and plots his revenge."Ultimately, it's a story of a powerful man who was done a great injustice," Duellman-LaCara said. "Yet he finds it in his heart to forgive those who wronged him and give up his control over them."
For the past two months, 17 students from West M middle and high schools - plus one from Tri-Valley High - have been memorizing iambic pentameter and learning to perform on a traditional raked, or sloped, stage.
Some, like eighth-grader Alex Szemetylo, who plays Prospero, are local theater veterans. Junior Laura Finkle, who plays Alonsa, is in her sixth play. "I've never done Shakespeare before so it's new," she said. The biggest problem has been learning the lines, since it's so "different from the way we speak."
Many are in their first production, including sophomore Katie Coleman, who plays Trinculo. She said she decided to try out because her friends in marching band said theater was fun. They didn't audition, but she discovered her friends were right.
The show mixes modern dress and music with some of the Bard's most memorable phrases. And in a twist from Elizabethan times, where boys played the female roles, girls play some of the traditional male roles in this "Tempest."
In another variation, the single role of the fairy Ariel is split among three girls - Brittany Cooper, Brandy Burrows and Stephanie Szemetylo - who embody fire, water and air, Duellman-LaCara said.
Others in the cast include Stephanie Ann Caltrider, Dan Campbell, Kayla Chapman, Ryan Chernick, Laura Finkle, Cade Heskett, Grace Jameson, Erin Rawson, Lindsay Shumate, Natalie Szemetylo and Jake Vance.
Duellman-LaCara hopes the community will embrace "The Tempest" as her young actors have. "William Shakespeare was a common man. He didn't grow up in a wealthy family. He didn't get to go to college. But he still manages to illuminate humanity better than anyone. He wasn't afraid to look at the darker side of things, but he kept his sense of humor about life."