Wooed by Shakespeare

Went to see Shakespeare yesterday with my sister, Mary. We saw the incredible American Players Theatre troupe perform As You Like It in the round, outside, on a seasonal, overcast fall day in the beauty of rural Wisconsin. It was awe inspiring!

Theatre in and of itself is a wonderful thing. I've written my share of plays, so I'm kind of partial to the medium, and of course, Shakespeare was genius. The more you see his work, the better it gets; more nuances are revealed with each reading or viewing, and the poetry, juxtaposition and depth of his words only intensify.

Besides the play, the acting caliber, and the setting, two things stand out from the day. The first is how much I enjoy spending time with Mary. We have a lifetime in common and we love the same people--a great foundation for conversation.

The other thing I loved about the experience was the audience. It was a rare late morning performance, timed to promote school participation and the audience was three-fourths students. You always take a chance mixing teenagers with Shakespeare. Will they understand his humor? Can they follow the story? Will the challenge of Shakespeare's language put up a wall?

It was probably a combination of the stellar acting and the intelligence of the students present, but these kids got it. The laughed, they sighed (out loud, no less), they clapped. But they saved their most impressive reaction for the curtain call. On a day when the clouds kept a tight hold on the rain, when the mosquitoes were in hiding, and when the play had perfect pitch, the youngest members of an appreciative audience were the first on their feet, pulling the rest of us with them.

In a day and age when standing-o's are too cheaply given, yesterday's was well deserved. The students didn't look right or left to see who else was standing, they didn't hesitate to leap to their feet, there was even a hearty whistle or two.

All in all, it was a fitting response to great theatre. Kudos to the American Players Theatre for casting their spell, to the National Endowment of the Arts for subsidizing Shakespearean theatre for youth across the country, to English and Theatre teachers who see fit to challenge their students, and to the students themselves for taking on the master and learning to love him.