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Shakespeare By Kids For Kids

What is Kidspeare?

In partnership with Arlington Heights High School, Shakespeare in the Park developed this unique children's theater program with two goals in mind: 1) Educate high school students in the art of performing the classics; and 2) Provide young audiences with a fun and accessible environment in which to enjoy the exciting work of William Shakespeare. In this, our third year, a very talented company of a ors from Arlington Heights will focus on:

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

KIDSPEARE
is made possible through generous support from the following:
American Airlines
Texas Wesleyan University
Winn Dixie
Imagination Celebration
DON’T MISS SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK'S 2Oth Anniversary Season Production

The Life and Time of Willie Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564, to Mary and John Shakespeare. He was baptized on April 26th, but no birth date was ever recorded, so his date of death, April 23rd is celebrated as his birthday. Not much is known about his childhood, other than rumors that he poached deer and rabbits, studied Latin at Stratford Grammar School, and that he left home for London in 1586. When Willie arrived in London, he got a job holding the horses of the wealthy theater patrons while they watched the show.
Willie married Anne Hathaway in 1582 when he was just 18 years old! They had three children: Susanna, Hamlet, and Judith. Soon after the birth of the twins (Hamlet and Judith), Shakespeare joined the Lord Chamberlain's Men, an acting troupe in London. The first known reference to Shakespeare as a writer was made in 1592, when Robert Greene called him an "upstart crow" for daring to rise above the ranks of other actors and write a play.
In 1594, the theaters in London were closed due to the threat of plague. During this time, Willie wrote 2 epic poems and several plays. In all, Shakespeare wrote 37 plays, numerous love sonnets, and narrative poetry. His plays are generally broken down into 3 categories: Comedies, Tragedies, and Histories. His first play, written around 1592-1594, is thought to be A Comedy of Errors. He wrote first about the history of England, as he was very patriotic, as well as ambitious! Shakespeare’s second group of plays were mainly romantic comedies.
Around the turn of the century (1600), Willie began writing tragedies. It is generally thought that his plays turned toward tragic themes for two reasons: 1) Queen Liz (Elizabeth) was quite ill at this time, and Shakespeare's own life was rocked with tragedy when his son, Hamlet, died at age eleven in 1596.
Shakespeare was instrumental in building The Globe Theatre in 1599. Plays were performed during the daytime hours as there was no artificial lighting in the theater. No scenery was used on stages during this period, so Willie had to paint pictures through the choice of words he wrote in his plays. Character monologues were written to include detailed descriptions of the setting, weather, and political climate. The typical Elizabethan theater, or "public house: was shaped in the form of a hexagon, with a three-roofed gallery encircling an open courtyard. The stage area was elevated and projected into the yard, where the "groundlings" (patrons who only had to pay a penny for admission), would stand. There was usually a thatched roof over the stage, with a painted canopy depicting the "Heavens".
Going to the theater was very different then. Between scenes and before the performance, acrobats, jugglers, musicians, singers, clowns, and dancers would perform for the audience. Vendors sold food and drinks during the show, just like they do at a baseball game or the rodeo.

April, 1997
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
ADAPTED BY - Angela Gant
PRESENTED BY - Arlington Heights High School / Shakespeare In The Park
DIRECTED BY - Robert A. Fass
THE COMPANY


THE STORY
Picture a large manor home in a picturesque Italian town, sitting alone among the Italian hills. Servants bustle about, speaking a lovely Italian dialect as they go about their daily business. Sheep dot the surrounding hills; chickens, cows, and ducks roam free throughout the manor grounds. There is the sound of voices raised in song; a warm breeze blowing through the air; wonderful smells wafting from the great kitchen. This is the home of Leonato, a loyal subject of the Prince and father to Hero. All the hurriedness is in preparation for the arrival of the Prince, Don Pedro, and his friend and subject, Claudio. Claudio is betrothed (engaged) to Hero and the wedding will occur very soon. Hero's cousin, Beatrice, is also visiting to help with the wedding preparations. Beatrice is not married, though of marrying age, because she has never met a man that she likes. Along comes Benedick, a self-professed bachelor and big time smart-aleck. Through some conniving and gossip on the part of the Prince, etc., these two quickly fall in love. Meanwhile, Don Pedro's brother, Don John has entered the scene with his servant, Borachio. Don John is determined to see the destruction of his brother, and because of this, decides to spread some rumors about Hero so Claudio won't marry her. Fortunately, Don John is caught, but not before some serious problems have started.

THE LANGUAGE
In this version of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, a narrator is used to help the audience to understand the story. The narrator speaks in modern language to accomplish this. All the other characters speak in Old English, the way that people in England spoke during Shakespeare's day. They also speak in lines that rhyme and that sound like poetry with a repetitive rhythm. That's because Willie wrote in a style of poetry called "Iambic Pentameter". Those words simply translated mean that if you break the lines into syllables, you'll notice that there is a repetitive pattern of unstressed syllables followed by stressed ones. So that the lines sort of sound like a limping man walking: da dum, da dum, da dum, da dum, da dum. But he can only walk 10 steps because each line is made up of 10 syllables. This can sometimes be hard to understand since we aren't accustomed to hearing people talk like this. That's where the narrator comes in. She makes sure that the audience is following along with the story.

THE PLAYS
MUCH ADO...was written slightly before the turn of the 17th century in 1598-1599, when Shakespeare was around 34 years old. The names and dates of Shakespeare's other plays are listed in the time line below:


WHO'S WHO IN THE KIDSPEARE '97 PRODUCTION
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

BREAN CHILDRESS (Ursula)
Brean's first training was in dance during elementary school. Hours of lessons in tap, ballet, jazz, and clogging led to recitals and preformances at local venues such as Mayfest and Oktoberfest Brean studied cello and violin, and later received training in the oboe and piano. Upon entering high school, Brean joined the theater program and was cast as the female lead in You Can't Take it With You. Other favorite roles include Ms. Patty in Curious Savage and Bianca in the 1996 Kidspeare production of The Taming of the Shrew. Brean has a 4.0 GPA, received a Citywide Academic Achievement Award, and is in the National Honor Society.

MELANIE COOPER (Narrator)
Melanie is no stranger to KidSpeare. She has played Titania and Puck in A .Midsummer Night's Dream and Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew. She has also apppeared in two episodes of "Walker, Texas Ranger" for television Melanie has worked behind the scenes in Casa Manana's The Music Man, and she helped to train the animals for Casa's Annie Warbucks. Her numerous roles in high school have inspired Melanie to pursue a film and television major in college. Melanie states, "I can't wait for my chance to hit Hollywood by storm"

KRISTEN ELIZONDO (Beatrice)
Kristen has been involved in the theater world for three years. She has portrayed many characters including Katherine in the KidSpeare '96 production Taming of the Shrew. Her hobbies include watching movies and horseback riding. She hopes to attend a California university and act in motion pictures. Her second career choice is to become an astronaut either way, Kristen says she hopes to he "among the stars".

BOBBY GONZALES (Borachio)
Bobby has worked as a crew member at Casa Manana and enjoys the opportunity to work alongside professional actors in a professional setting. He has appeared in several productions at Arlington Heights High School including The Curious Savage, A Mad Breakfast, and You Can't Take It With You. In addition to acting, Bobby has begun to explore directing and playwriting. He recently wrote a play entitled Closer to Fine, and is working on a project in the UNITY program which he will direct and deliver speeches and monologues.

W. DUKE GREENHILL (Leonato & Dogberry)
Duke is a senior at AHHS and has been involved in theater for eight years. He recently appeared in the 1996 Shakespeare in the Park's Much Ado About Nothing. Duke is a veteran KidSpeare actor, having appeared in A Midsummer Night’s Dream as Demetrius, as Petruchio in last year's Taming of the Shrew. Other credits include Fort Worth Theater’s Romeo and Juliet and the independent film "Catsup Bottle Microphone" shot in Austin. As an aspiring director, Duke plans to attend the University of Texas and their graduate school at NYU.

BLAINE HALPENNY (Margaret)
Blaine is a sophomore at AHHS. She loves acting and although she has been interested in theater for a long time, this is her first year in Performing Arts. This is also Blaine’s first year with KidSpeare and her first attempt at a Shakespearean play. Blaine has appeared with the Texas Girl's Choir in addition to her work in modeling, musicals, and pageants.

DEVON A. HARRELL II (Don John & Don Pedro)
Devon was first introduced to theater in Germany. His first production was Winnie the Pooh, in which he had a small role. From that moment on, Devon realized how much he enjoyed working in the theater. Some years later, he had the opportunity to do the afternoon announcements at school. Devon immediately accepted the challenge and was a big hit. Devon has worked at AHHS on the play Help, and has aspirations of pursuing a career in television.

KYLE KOESTER (Claudio)
Kyle has been involved in theater for more than four years. At AHHS, he has played Paul in You Can't Take It With You, and the emotionally disturbed Jeffrey in The Curious Savage. He also played the best friend of a date rape victim in an AHHS play entitled Hush. Kyle has become very familiar with the works of William Shakespeare through his role as Lucentio in Kidspeare's Taming of the Shrew', and this year's Fort Worth Theatre production of the same name in which he played Bianca in a new sci-fi intepretation of the script In May. Kyle will play Alex in the AHHS musical Ducktails and Bobbysocks.

CHRISTIAN MACDONALD (Benedick)
Christian has been around theater for most of his life. It is one of his most constant passions. past Shakespearean roles include Romeo in Romeo and Juliet and various roles in Taming of the Shrew. Christian has numerous other roles in various productions to his credit. His dream is to work on Broadway.

KARA TORVIK (Hero)
Kara's first on stage role was as a ditzy sidekick in Oliver Twisted. Since then, she has participated in numerous plays including The Curious Savage, The Uninvited, Closer to Fine, and Kidspeare's Taming of the Shrew'. Currently in her sophomore year at AHHS. Kara is involved in the musical Ducktails and Bobbysocks. She has trained in dance and has worked with the Texas Girl's Choir. Kara plans to major in drama when she gets to college.

RYAN WIGGINS (Assistant Director/Stage Manager)
Ryan is a junior at AHHS. She has been performing for three years and has worked specifically in theater for six years. Ryan has trained in dance and has worked in props, costumes, and make-up. Favorite roles include Florence in The Curious Savage, Sharon in Homecoming Interviews, and social worker in Blues. Ryan plans to attend Texas Tech and major in education.

TRANSLATIONS: Alter the below inscribed snippets from traditional Shakesperean language to thine own.

1. May be she doth but counterfeit.
2. I should think this a gull, but the white-bearded fellow speaks it.
3. He hath ta'en the Infection; hold it up.
4. He would make but a sport of it, and torment the poor lay worse.
5. You have no stomach, signior: fare you well.

DISCUSSION TIME: Query 'mongst yourselves the following subjects.
BEFORE THE PLAY:
How does a rumor start? Is a rumor good or bad? Why?
Is it okay to start a rumor if no one gets hurt? Why yes or no?

AFTER THE PLAY:
Talk about gossip: which characters in this play spread the most gossip?
Who gets hurt the most by the gossip? Who benefits the most? Flow?