The All Saints Drama Club, led by Mrs. Lewis and Ms. Zwisler, was a delight to watch this morning in back-to-back performances of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Taming of the Shrew. Audience members from 4-5 for The Tempest and grades 6-8 for Taming of the Shrew were rapt with attention as they followed the movement and storyline of each play.
The Tempest
The Tempest is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place. He conjures up a storm to lure his corrupt brother Antonio and King Alonso of Naples to the island. Led by Vanessa Morgan as the sorceress Prospera, the cast included 18 students with characters as diverse as the spirit Arial (Eirian Crocker) and the lurid monster Caliban (Jack Tessier).
Taming of the Shrew
Taming of the Shrew is the story of true love that starts out with the insults of a shrew (Kate) and the brash retorts of her suitor (Petruchio). Kate must be married before her sister, Bianca can even think of being a bride. Will Kate be married soon enough, and will she survive the taming campaign of her husband? This large cast of 23 students worked well together, featuring Kate (Natalie Collier) as the difficult sister and confident Petruchio (Gabriel Cabello) as her would be suitor.
Annaliese Tamke served as Mistress of Revels for both plays, and the “Can’t Do Without Stage Crew” led by Joey Gould and Elizabeth Orsi, included Zoe Callen on sound, Drew Rice and Jack Tessier on lights, and props master Josh Dawson.
The Drama Club is made up of All Saints students from seventh and eighth grade. The club was particularly ambitious this year, bringing not one but two classic plays to the stage. Throughout both performances this morning, the actors delivered their lines with clarity and enthusiasm, and impressed all with the way they brought Shakespeare to life for those in attendance.
The Drama Club will be back with an evening performance of both plays on Wednesday, May 6th beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Parish Activity Center.