For the first time in over 17 years, a Shakespeare work will be performed at Kennedy. This year’s fall play, Much Ado About Nothing, offers a chance to experience one of the world’s most famous playwrights.
Director Cael Joens sees the production as a way for students to grow as both performers and interpreters of classic literature.
“I think that doing Shakespeare for the fall play is an excellent opportunity for students to explore a challenging classic text,” Joens said.
Much Ado About Nothing is a romantic comedy centered around two main couples. Hero and Claudio fall in love at first sight, but an evil plan threatens their future together. Beatrice and Benedick swear they will never fall in love; their friends swear otherwise.
Senior Onnika Hallam plays Hero, and has been part of the Kennedy theater program since she was a freshman. The decision to perform Shakespeare has brought a new challenge to her this year.
“When I heard about the play this year I was kind of overwhelmed,” Hallam said. “I remember looking at the audition packet and having no idea what the characters were trying to say. To me, it all looked like a jumble of Old English. It spooked me overall.”
As rehearsals progressed, Hallam’s perspective changed.
“The more we have been working on it, the more fun it has gotten as we truly understand these lines and can play it off in the intended way—feeding the audience the true meaning.”
For freshman Ellis Melone, Much Ado will be her first time on the Kennedy stage. Melone was hesitant to audition at first, but has found the experience rewarding.
“Shakespeare as my freshman play is definitely not something I thought would happen, but…it’s something I think I’ll look back on fondly in the future,” Melone said. “I’ve met some of my favorite people from doing theater at Kennedy, and I look up to so many of the older kids. It’s just really great to be involved in the program.”
Apart from the high vocabulary level, Much Ado About Nothing is not a large departure from previous Kennedy plays.
“Almost all of the recent plays here at Kennedy have been comedies,” Hallam said. “This show is no different in theme…just in style.”
Director Joens agrees, describing the show as entertaining and relevant.
“…It is a chance to see the culmination of amazingly talented people doing something extremely challenging with finesse,” Joens said.
Come support the return of Shakespeare at Kennedy on October 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Tickets are available online at https://kennedytheater.ludus.com/index.php
