By Kenley Kingrey
“O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name…” These words echo from Mrs. Dolma’s freshmen Language Arts class, as they prepare for their production of Romeo and Juliet.
Seniors in Mrs. Dolma’s class will perform Hamlet for their class play. Sophomores will have the privilege to bring Caesar to life for their play, in addition to the freshmen production.
Now who really wants to put on a Shakespeare play? Sophomore, Joseph Cardoza (who plays Caesar), said, “I think its fun. It’s very interesting to learn and perform a play that was written so long ago, and to still understand its meaning today. Memorizing it may go to far, but the whole aspect of doing the play is very educational, and very entertaining. It’s a lot of fun, and I like acting so it’s great!”
Mrs. Dolma chose to have her students perform these plays because, “These plays are thirty minutes long and are written for the classroom. The truth is I really wanted to see what it was like to put one on, and to see how the plays worked in a classroom.” She also stated that they are a part of the curriculum.
Some have questioned whether performing a Shakespeare play is a waste of time or whether it increases knowledge of the arts and is it worth it. “I think it’s fun. If we show these kids how Shakespeare can be; by showing them Shakespeare well, I think that it is a good thing for us,” Jonas Noomah, freshman at Homer High School said.
Shakespeare plays can always help students grow and learn by telling a story about old mistakes and triumphs. Traven Apiki, senior at Homer High School, said, “I’ve gotten to know what it’s like to do these different voices, and it teaches you how to act. It’s like a minny course. That’s probably the main thing I’ve gotten from the play.”
The Shakespeare plays will take place October 19th and 20th. The plays are open to the public, and any students that have a language arts class or a free period in the hours that the plays are being performed are welcome to come.