Angela Ramirez
In Motion Staff Writer
Oct. 11-13 and 18-19 Daytona State students will be delivering a performance of “The Compleat Wrks of Wlm Shkspr Abridged” or in modern terms, “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged.”
The play is a compilation of “everything” that William Shakespeare published into one flash improvisational session with a cast of only three actors. Within the 97 minutes that these actors are performing the 37 works, an abundance of pop culture references will be made. A tragedy is portrayed as a cooking show and there’s bound to be some amount of cross-dressing. Written by Jess Borgeson, Adam Long and Daniel Singer, “The Complete Works” is the longest-runnning comedy in London’s esteemed theatrical history.
According to Samantha Stern, director of the production, pop culture references are not limited to just celebrities such as Mary-Kate Olsen, Charlie Sheen and Justin Bieber. They even mention common technology like Wikipedia and iPhones. Along with the improve, Stern makes a point that the audience is involved physically and verbally. Audience members can be expected to be brought on stage, be faux kicked out of the theater, and might even be used as a chair by an actor.
With all that being said, each night of the production is expected to be completely unique and vary from night to another.
Why choose this over any number of other productions, especially since it is a challenging task for just three student actors?
“Even if you don’t understand Shakespeare, you’ll still understand the universal themes in his works,” she replied.
Meaning, even those who may have never read or seen a play by Shakespeare will still get the main point of the play.
Stern said that she wanted to create a cross curricular experience between courses and the theater. By presenting a more appealing variation of the standard literary curriculum, students might be able to familiarize themselves with what they are currently learning and thus, benefit from the experience.
Whether you are engaged in an English class that has Shakespeare under required reading, a Shakespeare buff or completely unaware of Shakespeare, the production offers a refreshed view of one of literature’s most esteemed writers.
Showtimes are at 7:30 p.m. nightly and at 2:30 p.m. Oct. 13. Performances will be in the Gillespy Theater at the News-Journal Center, 221 N. Beach St. Tickets are $8 per person or two for $15 and free to Daytona State College, Volusia and Flagler County students, with proper ID. For information, call 386-226-1927.