On May 11, freshman English students attended a field trip to the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company’s performance of “Romeo and Juliet.” A short session where students asked the cast questions was held after the play. Students read the play previously in class.

“I thought it was very well preformed. All of the actors were really into their parts and overall it just had very good effort. You could tell that they all enjoyed working together,” said Brock Moritz (’18).

The performance gave the students an understanding of the play not seen in the book and gave them a look of what going to a theater feels like.

“I thought it was very interactive, and they did a good job playing some of the funny parts of the play, which a lot of Shakespearian performances glaze over, so I thought it was a very entertaining performance,” said English teacher, Megan Hamilton. “I feel strongly that dramatic text was made with the intention that people should see it and not read it, and it’s a completely different experience to see something preformed than just reading it to yourself.”

Many of the students said during the question and answer session that they have never been to a theater, let alone seen a Shakespearian play.

“Even though there was a lack of props and a set, the dynamic shape of the theater allowed for a three-dimensional dynamic setting that really amerced both the actors and the audience in multiple difference scenarios that I think enhanced the play,” said Andrew Ferguson (’18).

The question and answer session discussed topics that ranged from getting ready for the play and the weeks before it, and the cast background and everyday lives.

“The actors did a very good job explaining their motivations and how they get ready for performances,” said English teacher Michelle Vance.

“I learned what the actors go through, you sort of get a view into their life, so you just learn what they have to go through every day,” said Zac Perkins (’18).

For more information on the educational concepts of the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, visit their website at www.chesapeakeshakespeare.com.