TERRE HAUTE —
More than 400 years after writing some of the greatest dramas in literary history, William Shakespeare’s words are still inspiring generations to explore their feelings of self-confidence, affection and trust.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology students stepped back in time to learn those valuable lessons during an educational residency on campus this week conducted by members of the Actors From The London Stage. The special program leads into the group’s presentation of Shakespeare’s classic “Romeo and Juliet” on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the Hatfield Hall Theater.
The shows are part of the college’s Performing Arts Series. Tickets are $10 for adults, and $5 for non-RHIT students and youths.
The shows are free to Rose-Hulman students. Tickets are available in the Hatfield Hall ticket office on weekdays from 1-5 p.m. or by calling (812) 877-8544.
Tickets will also be available before each performance, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m.
This week’s acting residency program was especially worthwhile for 22 students studying an Introduction to Shakespeare course this spring quarter. Professor Richard House took the class to the actors’ classroom, the stage, to bring Shakespeare’s word to life.
“Shakespeare takes on a new meaning on stage — from words on the written page to words with feelings and a full range of emotions,” stated Marshall Griffin, a veteran actor who has played Tybalt in “Romeo and Juliet” and Brabantio in “Othello.” His performance in “Four Nights in Knaresborough” earned a nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the Manchester Evening News Awards.
Other members of the Actors From The London Stage cast include Liz Crowther, who has played Queen Margaret in “Richard III” and took a year’s sabbatical in 2004 to study physical theatre at the L’École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris; Jennifer Higham, whose film credits include “Cassandra’s Dream” for Woody Allen and a featured role in “Ella Enchanted”; Geoffrey Lumb, who played two seasons with The Royal Shakespeare Company; and Martin Parr, who has spent the last year working with Sir Alan Ayckbourn on his play “Woman in Mind” which appeared at London’s West End.
Now in its 35th year, Actors From The London Stage is one of the oldest established touring Shakespeare theater companies in the world. The group was founded by renowned British actor Patrick Stewart and is housed at the University of Notre Dame. Cast members visit approximately 16 to 20 universities in a year, giving students and faculty around the country a chance to experience their dynamic and enriching performing arts program.
The residency features classroom workshops, on stage demonstrations, text readings or informal meetings. Members of the Actors From The London Stage are committed to teaching and making themselves entirely accessible to students during these campus residencies. This week’s program was sponsored by Rose-Hulman’s Department of Humanities & Social Society’s Elsie Pawley Fund and a grant from the Indiana Arts Commission.
The actors worked with Rose-Hulman students and faculty in courses covering technical and professional communications, rhetoric and composition, major British writers and even civil engineering design. There will be a special workshop on Saturday morning for members of the Rose-Hulman Drama Club.
“Shakespeare is universal,” Griffin stated. “Students can use the tools of acting and those beautiful works of William Shakespeare in everything they do — business, management and working as a team.”
Acting skills can be used in job interviews, making classroom presentations and leading a team project, according to House, associate professor of English. The Introduction to Shakespeare course includes studies of Shakespeare’s histories, comedies, tragedies, and romances. It focuses on close textual reading of selected plays within the intellectual framework of his era.
Actors From The London Stage will be performing “Romeo and Juliet” in a stripped-down, no-nonsense text-centered version of one of Shakespeare’s most well-known tragedies. The theater is reduced to its essential elements: actors, audience and story.
“Essentially, that’s what Shakespeare was all about: the meanings of the words. We want the audience to be intrigued by the dialogue and the interactions between characters, not any elaborate costumes and fancy sets,” Griffin said.
What: Actors From The London Stage presents “Romeo and Juliet”
When: 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday
Where: Hatfield Hall Theater, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, 5500 Wabash Ave.
Tickets: $10 for adults; $5 for non-RHIT students and children. Reserved seating. Tickets available at the Hatfield Hall ticket office from 1-5 p.m. weekdays or by calling (812) 877-8544. Tickets will be available before each performance, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m.
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