Aspiring thespians learn show biz through the Bard

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

There's no business like show business. In June, a group of young local theatre buffs got their dream job in the business, producing William Shakespeare's comedy, "A Midsummer Night's Dream," as part of a school workshop.

"It was an incredible opportunity," said Dulcie Willis, theatre director at Poudre High School and author of the project.

"Shakespeare in the Summer" was funded by a $5,000 grant from the Poudre School District Foundation, plus $3,000 from fund-raising. Designed for students throughout the district in grades seven through 12, the program was an intensive, three-week immersion in the theatre arts. It was also the first multi-school arts program funded by the foundation.

The workshop culminated June 23 and 24 with three outdoor performances, staged in the Poudre High School courtyard. In the center of the set was a huge oak tree, perfect for the forest setting of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Not to be outdone by the costumed cast, the oak tree was festooned with flowers for the show.

The 22 students who took part in the project learned about every aspect of putting on a Shakespeare play, from costuming, lighting and sound to make-up, sets and business management. Acting skills were also honed, with students coached in vocal projection, Shakespearean script analysis and the tricks of doing comedy.

Many of the students, according to Willis, had had experience only in acting prior to the workshop, and they found they really enjoyed other aspects of theatre as well.

The workshop ran from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day, a packed schedule of instruction and hands-on work. With that kind of intensity, students learned a good deal about teamwork and became a solid company. Older students helped younger and "there was an awesome chemistry among the cast," said participant Chelsey Linclau, who played Quince in the show.

Only three young men signed up for the summer workshop, so many of the girls were double-cast in female and male roles. One of the brave males, Vinny Gaghepain, hopes to be a professional actor someday and liked the fact that "Shakespeare in the Summer" was modeled after a professional theatre group.

Fellow actor Sean Cummings said he appreciated the one-on-one mentoring from the directors. "I feel I'm really making connections and becoming better at the craft," he said.

Eve Hersh, one of the workshop participants, calls the play a farce about the crazy things people do for love. Or, as the play's character Bottom says, "Reason and love keep little company together nowadays."

Besides the hard-working students, Willis assembled an impressive cast of instructors for the workshop. They included director Melinda Scott, education director for the Colorado Shakespeare Festival; professional actor Jonathan Farwell who was the acting coach; Cindy Eby, who has done considerable set design and construction for OpenStage Theatre; Jason Evenson, whose company provides technical services for several theatre companies in the area; costume designer Kari Armstrong who has been with PHS Theatre since 2004; make-up instructor John Hill, an instructor in theatre arts at Colorado State University; and Willis herself, who has choreographed or directed more than 20 productions and served as artistic director for the project.

During the run of the project, there was a palpable sense of high energy and fun among the cast, much like the merriment of the play itself. Actor Karly Steffens summed it up this way: "There's been energy, craziness and niceness, all stuffed into one theatre group. It's neat to be around others who are passionate about their art."