Readers’ pick: Forbidden Planet Productions
The general reaction to William Shakespeare, the 16th-century poet who everyone and their mother is required to read in English class, is a strong desire to pelt the over-hyped Bard with dozens of tomatoes.
Yet, GW Shakespeare Company — or, as they like to call themselves, “Shakes” — are Shake-ing up the classical writer’s work with their latest production, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which will run April 11 to 13 in Square 80. But their modern takes on classics isn’t the only thing making them stand out; it’s the tight-knit community and, as members will tell you, “the vibes.”
Eve Parent, the director of “A Midsummer’s Night Dream,” was a bona fide Shakespeare hater in high school, mostly because of the boring way it was taught in her English class.
“I didn’t understand the language,” Parent said. “I was like, ‘This is so convoluted. It’s written by this dead white man. Who even cares?’”
But the supportive and passionate community she discovered during her first Shakes production of “Hamlet” won Parent over. Maybe it was the collective creative juices flowing or hours spent perfecting the thou-littered jargon. By the end, they decided: “I think I like this Shakespeare thing.”
Now Parent said she believes Shakespeare is one of the few playwrights who can truly be melded to a director’s vision to tackle a variety of social issues in terms of theme, characters and commentary.
Parent points to “Taming of the Shrew,” a play they find to be misogynistic because the male characters treat the women as commodities. But when Parent performed in the play, GW Shakes director Cammie Hussy altered the narrative into a story of queerness and acceptance by gender-swapping Kate, the shrew of the play, to Kit, who is pursued by love interest Petruchio. Thus, the Shakes transformed the core heterosexual couple of the play into an exploration of queer love.
Kenny Silver, GW Shakes’ technical director, said while he has been a Shakespeare fan since high school, the newfound emotional depth and fresh takes that actors bring to the table during their campus performances are what keeps him hooked.
“There’s a whole lot of fun in making something that is so old and well known become new and exciting,” Silver said. “There is no better place to do this, in my opinion, than the GW Shakespeare Company.”
Maliah Stevens, a senior majoring in organizational science, said the smaller size of Shakes allows for fewer cuts at auditions, giving them a reputation as the “nicest theater org.”
“Honestly, we have such an amazing community,” Stevens said. “I love all of the people that I’ve met.”
Stevens said, as executive producer of “Midsummer,” she is especially cognizant of welcoming wary first-years who have little experience with the theater world.
Stevens said she knew her cast felt at ease when during “Winter’s Tale” last fall — a show with a predominantly first-year cast — members began to pass little letters with encouraging messages among themselves. Especially during the stressful weeks leading up to tech and the production itself, Stevens said the community that Shakes fosters was on full display as letters were exchanged at random times throughout the production process.
Gil Rogerson, a first-year majoring in Latin American and hemispheric studies and GW Shakes’ assistant technical director, said the Shakes’ slogan is “We get you first.” Rogerson said this phrase alludes to Shakes’ speedy recruiting tactics, emailing interested students directly after student organization fairs.
While Shakes might have gotten Rogerson first, it’s the small, tight-knit community that keeps them coming back. When there were niche inside jokes between veteran actors, older members were quick to explain the context from past productions to newcomers. And Rogerson said Stevens made a great first impression, greeting them with a big smile and “kind and supportive” energy.
“You really feel like you know everybody in the organization, and you can form a connection with everybody,” Rogerson said.
