I agree that
Midsummer is oodles of fun. It is also a good choice if you need to work around student rehearsal conflicts for the first several weeks, as you can rehearse character groups. I have used as many as 12 fairies, which is a great way to get new students who are not really ready for lines involved in a show, learning that all-important active listening and movement in character. As long as you have different costume looks for the fairy kingdom, Rude Mechanicals, and the Athenians lovers, etc., audiences should have no trouble understanding it.
Comedy of Errors is hilarious, and also only 90 minutes. This one is great for working on physical humor, double-takes, etc. Use a dumb show for the long story at the beginning to avoid losing your audience before the action starts.
Romeo and Juliet is a sure bet for high school, if you find the humor. As someone mentioned, it is a comedy for the first couple of acts. When we did it a few years ago, we set it in 1963, on the cusp of the youth revolution, which enabled me to use wooden tennis rackets for the fight at the beginning of the play.
I loved directing
The Tempest, which was in genre textbooks our English classes were using for 10th grade. I cast Prospero, Antonio, and Gonzalo as females. (I switched the final o to a more than a decade ago, but I wouldn't bother now.) The sister usurping her sister worked well, and the relationship between Antonio and Sebastian became electric. I used about 10 "spirits" who made the storm, tossed sailors around, entered barking, became the tree Prospero puts clothing on, etc. I think Prospero's speeches need some trimming for high school.
Finally,
Much Ado About Nothing was so much fun! We set it in the 1920s and I cast females as the messenger, Antonio, Conrad, Verges, Balthazar, and several of the Watch, in addition to the characters written as females. Putting the Prince's company in 1920s golf clothes, with the company carrying leather golf club bags, let us assume they were coming from a tournament, not an actual war.
One of the huge benefits of doing Shakespeare is that students who aren't totally committed to being word-perfect in their memorization learn that it is very difficult to ad lib in a Shakespearean play. The words fit together like a puzzle, and they usually make more sense when you hear them than they do on the page, so students practice out loud and hold book for each other.
If you have not yet directed Shakespeare in high school, I advise you to make time for table work in your rehearsal schedule. (If you've directed Shakespeare, you already know that!) I didn't do that the first time I directed the Bard, and I spent much longer than the table work would have taken stopping rehearsal to clarify meaning for students who were just reciting lines they clearly didn't understand.
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C. J. Breland
Retired Theatre Arts Educator
Asheville NC
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Original Message:
Sent: 01-03-2020 09:05
From: Rebecca Black
Subject: Your Favorite Shakespeare Comedy for H.S.
Midsummer, Tempest, Comedy.
Romeo and Juliet is a comedy until 3.1, I loved producing that one.
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Rebecca Black
Teacher/Director
Wayland MI
Original Message:
Sent: 12-31-2019 16:02
From: Brett Buffum
Subject: Your Favorite Shakespeare Comedy for H.S.
So many here have such amazing experiences and insights into producing Shakespeare at the high school level. I'd love to tap the hive and see what results on this question. The results will greatly help me in selecting which play is my first full Shakespeare production experience.
1. What is your favorite Shakespeare comedy to produce at the high school level?
2. Why?
Thank you so much!
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Brett Buffum
Theatre Teacher
Spring Hill KS
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