Of the faint slivers of free time I do somehow manage to find (see last week’s post), one of the organisations on campus with which I most like to spend them is E-52, one of UD’s two active student theatre groups. Since my first semester on campus, I have acted in a show per semester with this fantastic group of thespians, so I can tell you from experience that the slogan is true: we do put the ‘heat’ in ‘theatre.’ E-52’s passion for theatre and dedication to delivering incredible performances makes working with the troupe both exhilarating and rewarding.
Today, May 3, E-52 will be opening our final show of the year, which is William Shakespeare’s charming comedy As You Like It, directed by Brad Michalakis. The show follows the “pretty youth” Rosalind (or Ganymede, depending on who you ask) as she and her cousin beat a hasty retreat from angry Duke Frederick’s kingdom, to seek out Rosalind’s father, the banished Duke Senior, in the Forest of Arden. Also banished and traveling in their wake is love-struck Orlando, who is desperately seeking his Rosalind along his journey.
I have the immense honour of playing “the melancholy Jaques” (that’s jay-kweez), who leaves the court with Duke Senior when he is banished. Jaques thinks herself the smartest of the forest-dwellers, and she takes pleasure in mocking just about anyone she comes across. Playing the sarcastic know-it-all has been a blast, and I’ve particularly loved working on the dynamics between Jaques and the other characters with whom she interacts. Personally, I think if Jaques were around today, she’d be the quietly smug hipster-vegetarian sitting in the back of the class and muttering under her breath.
Jaques is also the character who gives the incredibly famous “All the world’s a stage” speech, which, I have to admit, has been a challenge to learn and deliver effectively. Most people don’t realise how sad the speech is; without giving too much of how I plan to perform it away, I will say that it has to do with “going through the motions” of life, rather than the openness and hope that first line seems to indicate when read out of context. This speech alone has been an adventure in and of itself, and I’m so honoured to be able to perform it in this production.
A particularly fun twist to the performance is that it’s going to be taking place outside on South Green. Since the Globe didn’t actually have a roof, this is one step closer to what “real” Shakespeare would have been like. We hope you’ll bring blankets and lawn chairs, and come soak up some sun and Shakespeare.
As You Like It will be performed on South Green on May 3 and May 10 at 6p.m., and May 4 and May 11 at 3p.m.
~Claire Davanzo
